Project Ghost
by AnimationNut
Summary: Lancer assigns a group project on ghosts! The trio finds it an easy pass, but when Lancer finds the report TOO good he begins to get suspicious, along with the rest of Amity Park. Response to deadlydaisy8o8 challenge! I only own the plot of this story, the idea coming from deadlydaisy8o8.
1. An Easy Pass

**Pretty sure I'm late to enter but oh well. I'm not in it for prizes, just for fun :P**

**An Easy Pass**

Lancer stood in front of his unruly class in frustration. Why was it so hard for these kids to pay attention? The only thing they were focused on was late night raves and Danny Phantom.

That gave him an idea...

Lancer clapped his hands and waited for the chatter to die down.

"Since you find the history of famous writers so boring, I'm going to assign a project you should all enjoy. I want you to get into groups of three and write a report on...ghosts."

Paulina squealed. "I'm totally doing Danny Phantom! He's so dreamy..."

Dash high-fived Kwan. "We are so doing Phantom! That dude rocks!"

Lancer took note on the groups that were forming. Kwan, Dash, and Charles. Paulina, Star and Valerie, who was trying to persuade them to reconsider doing Phantom, and, of course, Danny, Sam, and Tucker.

Lancer frowned. The trio were barely passing any of their classes, and the teachers were getting fed up with their behaviour. But their faces were practically glowing with happiness at the this project. Which was strange. He never took them for Phantom fans...

Danny grinned at his two best friends. "How awesome is this? We are so gonna pass!"

Sam smiled. "Easy A. But do we have to do Phantom?"

Danny frowned, offended. "What's wrong with Phantom? I happen to think he is a cool guy."

Tucker smirked. "You would."

"Everyone is doing Phantom. And we already know everything about him-"

"Which makes it the 'easy A'."

"-which is why we should do another ghost in the Zone. Lancer will be so surprised by our knowledge of ghosts and if we present last, he should be sick of all the Phantom talk he'll give us bonus marks."

"Am I supposed to be offended?"

Before Sam could respond, Lancer clacked a ruler against his desk. "Ok, settle down. I'm going to point to a group, and you're going to tell me what ghost you will be researching on."

"Phantom."

"Phantom."

"Phantom."

"Phantom."

"Phantom."

"Not Phantom."

Paulina gasped. "What do you mean, 'not Phantom'? What's wrong with Phantom? Who else would you do?"

Tucker lazily fiddled with his PDA. "First of all, the Phantom isn't as interesting as he seems. I should know. Second, we are going to do our report on a bunch of different ghosts."

"YOU know the Phantom?"

Twenty pairs of eyes turned to the trio in shock and envy. Danny kicked the back of Tucker's chair while Sam held her head in her hands. Tucker turned red. "NO! I'm just saying he doesn't seem interesting, that's all."

Lancer narrowed his eyes. Danny had paled slightly, and Sam look ready to pass out, and Tucker looked fearful, eyes darting around the classroom.

Did these kids really know the Phantom? Come to think of it, every time he saw the Phantom, Tucker and Sam were always near, with Danny showing up later...

Tucker breathed a sigh of relief as the attention came off him. He grinned.

"Easy A!"

**Please review!**


	2. Research I

**Research I**

Danny Phantom prepped the Spectre Speeder as his friends grabbed the Fenton Thermos and the Blasters. Tucker tossed the items into the back seat and climbed in.

"What ghosts should we do?"

Sam adjusted the controls and motioned for Danny to open the portal. "Well, we could each choose one ghost and write about it. I think I'll choose Ember."

Danny entered his DNA code and watched the doors slide open. "Phantom."

Sam rolled her violet eyes. "For the last time, we are not doing Phantom. Now pick someghost else."

Danny scowled as he lead his friends through the swirling green vortex. "Fine. I choose...Youngblood."

Tucker raised an eyebrow. "Youngblood? Any particular reason?"

"I just figure it might be easier to question Youngblood without getting a plasma blast to the face."

"Good point. I choose..." Tucker tapped his fingers against the metal dashboard. "...Clockwork."

"Huh. Well, at least he'll already know the questions you're going to ask him. Hey, maybe he'll even tell us if we pass!"

Danny snorted. "Don't hold your breath." They came upon Ember's lair. "Hmm...Lancer said we need some sort of evidence or something. So since we know Ember pretty well, I'll distract her while you guys snag her guitar."

"Geez, thanks for the suicide mission. I pray to the Lord that Skulker isn't visiting her."

Laughing, Danny phased through and frowned. "Huh. Not home."

"Think again, dipstick."

Danny yelped as he was blasted away by a purple wave. Ember grinned as he went sailing through the walls.

Sam scowled. "Great. How are we supposed to steal the guitar away when she's using it as a murder weapon?"

Tucker rummaged through the back and pulled out the Fenton Goo. "I think I have an idea."

Danny avoided another blasted skull and tried to hit her with a plasma blast. Ember dodged and smirked.

"You're losing your touch, baby pop." She was about to deliver a green hypno-blast when something sticky hit her boots. "What the-"

Danny hauled himself up and brushed the dust off of him and chuckled as Ember struggled to get out of the sticky green goo. Tucker floated down and yanked her purple guitar from her grip.

"Danny is losing his touch, that's why we're here to back him up." Tucker grinned teasingly as he shot another goo blast to quell Ember's angered shrieks.

"Funny." Danny floated up and stuck his tongue out at the red faced Ember and followed his friends off to find Youngblood.

**I do not own Danny Phantom.**


	3. Research II

**Because Butch Hartman didn't give the skeletal parrot a name, how rude, I am naming my favourite parrot Bones, because I am just that cool.**

**Research II**

"Ok, we have Ember's guitar, and I figure Skulker won't stop by for at least a week or two, since he's still hunting you, correct?" Sam questioned.

Danny tossed a plasma ball up and down. "He'll still be in Amity Park until I put him in the thermos, so I'll do that after we're done here. He won't do anything unless he knows I'll be there."

Tucker studied the guitar curiously. "We are so getting extra credit!"

"Ghost Brat dead ahead!" Sam called out, eyeing the large ghost ship looming before them. "Good news, he's still playing pirates. Not G.I Joe."

"Hey, that's a good idea for a Christmas present for the little twerp." Danny said thoughtfully as he and his friends floated up to the deck.

"Ahoy, mate's!"

"Hey, Youngblood." Danny watched as the pint sized ghost kid hovered above them, his skeletal sidekick, Bones, by his side. "Can I ask you-"

Sam and Tucker watched in amusement as Danny went sailing to the other side of the ship, Youngblood gleefully shooting cannonball after cannonball.

"Danny, come on. He's, like, eight." Tucker teased as Danny got ambushed by Youngblood's crew.

"I'm eight and a half!" Youngblood whined. "Just for that, you get to walk the plank, landblubbers!"

"LandLUBBER." Bones corrected, idly flying by his young charge.

Youngblood frowned, poking Tucker in the back with his sword, inching him towards the open green space of emptiness. "Landlubber? That makes no sense!"

"DANNY!" Tucker wailed as Youngblood shoved him inches away from the edge. "I thought you said Youngblood would be easy!"

Danny grunted, blasting skeleton after skeleton. "I forgot Youngblood was a Class-A brat." He yelped as a head fell into his hands.

"Blimy! I just got me head attached yesterday!" The head complained. Shuddering, Danny handed it back to its body before catching Tucker as Youngblood prodded him off.

Sam studied Bones, who was watching the excitement slightly amused. She grabbed him by a skinny claw and held him upside down, studying him curiously.

"We could bring in Polly here. I think this counts as ecto-plasmic evidence."

"A talking skeletal parrot that can shape shift and talk. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that counts." Tucker commented sarcastically as Danny tackled Youngblood and dragged him to the front of the ship.

"I am NOT a museum exhibit, so please put me down!" Bones squawked in annoyance.

"Sorry." Sam apologized, releasing the bird.

Danny panted. "Ok, Youngblood. I just want to ask you a few questions for as school report. Then I'll leave. "

Youngblood pouted at being beaten by an older kid. "Ok, fine. But hurry up; I got some swash-buckling to do."

Tucker entered the data Youngblood had shared into his PDA. "Well, that was a complete waste of time. We already knew all that stuff."

Danny scowled. "At least we got the evidence!"

Sam traced a finger against the glowing green blade. "I think the parrot would have been a knockout."

"Yeah, like three kids are going to acquire a talking ghost parrot like that." Tucker snapped his fingers.

"TWO kids and a halfa." Sam corrected.

"Which only we know!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can we just get to Clockwork's? He's expecting us! And we still have a report to write and a demented Skulker to catch before he finds Ember...you're going to free her later, right?"

"Maybe." Danny replied, directing his best friends to Clockwork's lair.


	4. Research III

**Research III**

Danny phased himself and his two best friends through the large wooden door of the cathedral. Sam looked at the endless amount of clocks in awe.

"Even though I've been here before, it still takes my breath away...hey, shouldn't we have knocked?"

"Seriously? Clockwork knows everything, remember?" Tucker pointed out.

"Oh yeah. Ya think he would've greeted us at the door with cookies or something..."

The three missed the amused chuckle from the shadows. "I would've had cookies, but ghosts really have no need for food."

Sam yelped, startled, and then blushed as the Ghost of Time appeared before them. "Hey, Clockwork."

Danny placed his two friends on the tiled floor and smiled at Clockwork. "Hi. I'm gonna assume you know why we're here, so I don't need to explain anything, right?"

"You'd like to know information for your school project, correct?"

Sam ran a finger along the worn spines of the books on a wooden shelf in wonder. "Yeah, that's it. Hey, Tucker, ask the man, I mean Master, some questions, will ya?"

Tucker grumbled as Danny floated off to explore the old cathedral. "Ok, um...Are the Observer's really YOUR boss?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Couldn't you just send them to another dimension or something?"

"As the Ghost of Time, I have rules to follow, as the Observant's have to follow their rules."

Tucker thought about this. "So, basically, the one-eyed freaks give you their dirty work?"

"Correct."

"Man, that sucks." Tucker glanced up and rolled his green eyes. Sam was on the floor, resting her head in her hands as she skimmed through some book with intrest in her violet eyes. Danny had discovered Dark Dan and was gleefully whacking the thermos against the wall.

"Daniel..."

Danny blushed and quickly put the thermos back on the table as Dark Dan let out a string of curse words. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Tucker snickered. "Well, we already know most of the basics about you. Getting to in depth will arouse suspicion-"

Too late. Clockwork thought.

"- so...can we borrow something to show to the class? We'll return as soon as we're done."

Clockwork studied the young children who have been through things no child should go through. Their strength and knowledge was what made every ghost admire their spirit, whether they would admit or not.

And the next few weeks were not going to be easy.

Sam got up and waved a leather bound book in front of Clockworks face, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Can we borrow this? I think the 'Time Journal' would be great evidence. Not as great as a time staff or a talking ghost parrot, but hey."

Clockwork smiled softly. "If you promise to return it as soon as you are done with it, then you may."

Grinning, Sam pulled her friends away from Dark Dan's thermos, where they had been tossing it to each other like a football. "Thanks, Clockwork! We really gotta get going. The reports due tomorrow!" She paused. "Wait, you already knew that..."

Clockwork watched as Team Phantom flew off towards Fenton Portal, and shook his head.

Tough times were ahead.

**Review please! :)**


	5. The Presentation

**I'm baack!**

**The Presentation**

"...that's why Phantom is the ghost in history!"

The class clapped as Dash and his group headed back to their seats, smug. Danny looked spooked.

"I still don't understand how they got my right boot! I've been looking for that thing for months!" He glared at Dash's back. "I am SO filling his locker with dead fish. After I get my boot back. How'd he get my BOOT?"

Sam groaned. "Remember when you were chasing Kitty, and your foot got caught in a puddle of slime? Well, you got out, but your boot didn't. You asked me to get it, but when I got there it was gone. By the time I met you and Tucker you were already in human form with two sneakers and forgotten to mention the boot. So I forgot about it too...until now."

"Fenton, are you and your friends ready or should I not even bother?" Lancer asked. He was used to the trio never having anything done on time, so he was surprised when the three shuffled to the front of the class, report in hand and plastic bag being dragged behind them.

"Most of you know Phantom as the number one ghost-" She glared down the cheers. "-but there are many other ghosts besides Phantom."

Tucker began his part. "We each chose three ghosts. I chose Clockwork, the ghost of time. He lives in a cathedral filled with clocks, located in the Ghost Zone. Clockwork phases between old, adult and young. He carries a time staff that allows him to control time itself. He is unpredictable and mysterious, but he is one of Phantoms greatest allies. Clockwork helped destroy Phantoms greatest enemy, although Phantom didn't know it at the time. Although he sounds powerful, he has to follow orders from nerds called the 'Observers.'"

Tucker reached in and pulled out the leather bound book, with 'Time Journal' written out in gold script. "Be careful. This thing is irreplaceable." He warned before handing it to Valerie, who seemed completely absorbed by what they were saying.

Danny took over. "My ghost was Youngblood. He's a bit of a brat, but mostly harmless. Only kids can see him. His companion is a talking skeletal ghost parrot named Bones. Youngblood likes to pretend to be a pirate, like any young boy, so he often plays on his ghost ship."

Valerie raised her hand. "Is that the ghost who mind controlled our parents?"

Lancer noted Danny paled slightly. "Yes, I believe he was."

Sam cleared her throat, and Danny quickly removed a glowing green sword from the plastic bag. "Do NOT swing this around. It will chop off someone's head and make a mess that I don't feel like cleaning up."

The class nervously fingered the glowing object, transfixed.

Sam gleefully removed Ember's guitar. "My ghost is Ember McClain."

Lancer and the class gasped. "You mean-that young lady was a...GHOST?"

Sam smiled. "Yep. She mind controlled the youths with this baby right here. She gains power when you chant her name, so don't chant her name. This thing is her weapon. She can hypnotise you, or blast you to smithereens. Ember's got a boyfriend, believe it or not, and his name is Skulker."

Lancer, whose mind was still reeling with the fact one of his students' idol, was a ghost who had HYPNOTISED them, but still caught the gag when Sam mentioned Ember's boyfriend.

Danny snickered and Tucker grinned. "We'd like to give an honourable mention to Frostbite and Dora, and the Frootloop."

There was silence, then thunderous applause. Lancer frowned as the threesome made their way to their seats, collecting the showpieces with great care.

He had dozens of questions he wanted to ask them. How did they get such information? Where'd they get the evidence? Were they close to the Phantom, as Foley had indicated two days ago?

Lancer did not get his answers, as the bell clanged, signalling the end of the day. The students rushed out, and Lancer followed, locking his classroom door behind him.

He would get his answers tomorrow, whether the trio wanted to give them or not.


	6. Ember's Revenge

**I do not own Danny Phantom. **

**Ember's Revenge**

"We so rocked that presentation!" Sam said, her spider backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"Yeah, but I hope we didn't make anyone suspicious. Sam, you got the stuff?"

Sam handed Tucker the bag of ghostly items. "I nominate Danny to return the guitar. Ember should have been freed by someone by now."

"Let's hope not. Why didn't you return them last night?" Tucker asked.

Danny sighed. "I told you, my parents got this weird idea that we should bond, and I couldn't leave their side for a minute, let alone a few hours! I really wish I knew how split myself into two..."

Suddenly, a blue mist escaped Danny's mouth. He whirled around and franticually scanned the area. "Cover me."

Sam and Tucker put themselves in front of Danny and watched as a figure sped toward them. One flash of blue light later and Danny Phantom appeared. He picked up his friends and flew them off to a safe distance.

"Looks like Ember is back for revenge. Stay here, and when I give the signal toss me the thermos." He ordered before flying off.

Danny hovered in the morning sky, frowning. Where was she?

"Hello, whelp."

He was knocked back with a violent force, crashing to the ground. "Ugh, Skulker? How'd-"

"Your father kindly pressed the button and allowed me to escape. Of course, he thought it was a button for something called the Fenton Fudge Dispenser..."

Danny winced, hauling himself out of the imprint he had made in the pavement from the impact. He loved his dad, but one of these days...

"Anyway, enough about me. I believe you were very ungentle-men-like to my girlfriend. And for that, you shall pay...with your life and her beloved guitar."

Danny avoided a green blast and sent one of his own, hitting the cyber-ghost right in the chest. "I was going to return her guitar after school! This really isn't necessary!"

Skulker rammed into Danny, and lifted him up by the front of his black jumpsuit. "Your little geek friend blasted Ember, so you can thank him for the beating you will get."

Danny groaned, kicking Skulker in the shin and knocking him down. "Why do all you ghosts feel the need to talk so much? I prefer short banter." He delivered a roundhouse kick and sent the ghost sailing.

Tucker and Sam peered around the side of the building and watched Skulker land in a heap. "Where's Ember?"

"Right here, dipsticks."

Danny had just used his ghostly wail when twin screams sent him flying to where Tucker and Sam were hiding. He gasped in horror. "NO!"

Ember had managed to steal back the guitar from Tucker, and she blasted them with a green fist. His two friends flew backwards and crashed into a dumpster sitting on the curb.

"Who puts a dumpster on a curb? Recycling bins and garbage cans yes, but a dumpster?" Tucker rasped as he got to his feet and helped Sam up.

"Guys-"

Sam shooed him away, removing the Fenton thermos and blaster from her backpack. "You take care of Skulker. We'll handle McClame."

Ember snarled. "Very original, dipstick." She reared back for another blow, only to have Tucker fire three rapid plasma shots.

Danny bit his lip and hurried back to where Skulker had landed. He sighed in relief. He was still out cold. Well, that made things a lot easier. He grabbed Skulker under the arms and flew him back to where Sam held the Fenton thermos.

Sam and Tucker were doing a pretty good job of smacking Ember silly. Sam had wrestled the guitar from her grip and whacked her upside the head. She lay on the cold concrete, moaning.

"Nice job, guys." Danny took the thermos from Sam and sucked Skulker into it. Sam tossed the purple guitar on top of the unconscious Ember and Danny sucked the rocker into it as well. He transformed into Fenton, and stuffed the thermos into his bag.

"Great. We're late." Tucker grumbled. He felt something sticky on his lip. He touched it and pulled back his hand. Blood. He gripped Sam's arm to keep from passing out.

Danny winced. "We really took a beating, huh? I'm so sorry guys. If-"

Sam held out a hand, silencing him. "Danny, me and Tucker are getting just as good as you in battling ghosts. Just because we get banged up doesn't mean you should feel like crap. It's not your fault we got hurt. Right Tuck?"

"Yeah." Tucker mumbled, still a bit lightheaded.

"Well, what are we going to tell Lancer?"

"We have three blocks to figure it out."

Lancer frowned at the three empty seats that were normally occupied by Samantha, Tucker and Daniel. He was about to page the office to call their parents when the doorknob jiggled.

"Late again, you three. One more-" he gasped, as did the rest of his class.

Danny, Sam and Tucker were quite a sight. Tucker had a fat lip, Sam had a black eye and a bloody nose, and Danny's face was black and blue. All three looked tired and weak.

"What happened?" Lancer demanded. He was used to Danny showing up bruised and beaten, but not his best friends. It always worried him how Danny always came in hurt, and his concern grew at the sight of the troublesome trio.

"Um...we ran into a little trouble." Tucker grinned sheepishly.

"No kidding. Were you beaten by a gang?"

"Nah, it was just ghost trouble. But they quickly left when I started screaming." Sam replied.

Lancer could tell they were lying. Danny avoided eye contact; Tucker was smiling too broadly for someone who just got the crap kicked out of him. Something was wrong.

But now was not the time for questions. "Nurse's office. Now. I'll call your parents-"

"NO!"

Lancer blinked. "Why not? Your parents have a right to know what's happened."

"Yeah, but we don't need to worry them. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing." Tucker snorted, but quickly covered it up with a coughing fit.

Lancer frowned, but nodded. "All right, but if you need to be sent to the hospital, I WILL be calling your parents. Now get going."

The trio rushed out of there, leaving behind a very concerned-and suspicios-teacher.


	7. Healing and Answers

**Healing and Answers**

Sam groaned in pain as she held an ice pack to her black eye. Her nose had finally stopped bleeding, and was bandaged up. Tucker was nursing his fat lip with a wet cloth, and all three had been given painkillers to sooth the pain. Danny gingerly probed the purple bruises on his face. They waited until the nurse had left the room before creating their cover story for Lancer.

"He'll definitely want answers. I can tell he doesn't believe the ghost story."

Danny grinned. "We could always say Dash and his morons beat us up."

Sam punched him in the shoulder, adding another bruise to his growing collection. "They were already in class by the time we got bashed up, doofus!"

Tucker thought for a moment. "Well, we could say we saw a pair of ghosts, and we decided to fight them so they couldn't do any damage."

"I don't know, Tuck." Danny said nervously. "He might find me out."

"Nah. Your parents are ghost hunters, so it's obvious you'll want to follow in their footsteps. You have the gear to fight ghosts, and you dragged your two best friends along for the ride. Lancer will never discover you're a ghost-human hybrid."

Danny hesitated, and tensed when he heard footsteps coming closer to the nurse's station. "All right, but this better work!"

Lancer walked in and studied his three charges. The swelling had gone down a bit, and Foley's fat lip was looking better. He crossed his arms and began the questioning.

"Tell me the truth. Did ghosts really attack you?"

Tucker nodded. "Yes sir. But we fought them off."

"A-ha! So in truth, you stayed and FOUGHT the ghosts instead of running away to a safe place for help, like a sensible person."

Danny felt like whacking Tucker upside the head. They were almost in the clear! All Tucker had to do was simply nod his head. Was that so hard? Now Danny was going to have to explain to his parents why he ghost hunted behind his their back, and brought 'inexperienced' friends along. And he'd have to deal with the angry parents of Tucker and Sam.

Damn you Tucker!

Tucker could feel Danny's angry glare burning through his head. Him and his big mouth. "Well, sir, we didn't want anyone to get hurt, so we tried to stop them. Sam screamed, hoping to get help, and that spooked the ghost."

"But someone did get hurt. You three. And in order to fight ghosts, I believe you have to have some type of ecto-plasmic weapons." His eyes roamed the crowded nurse's office until his eyes fell upon Danny's slightly burned backpack. He strode over and picked it up.

"Hey! Isn't that, like, and invasion of privacy?" Danny cried.

Lancer reached in and pulled a silver Fenton Blaster, and the Fenton thermos. "I knew it! You three hunt ghosts, don't you?" He fixed the three with a glare. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You don't see any other students risking their lives, do you?"

_Sure do. And that one person wants me out of the picture. But no, you have to find US out. Valerie would NEVER enter your mind as a ghost huntress. At least you didn't find out everything... _Danny thought bitterly. But he couldn't give up Valerie's secret. That wouldn't be fair, even IF she was trying to kill his alter ego.

When the three did not respond, he sighed. "I know you're trying to be heroes, but you need to leave this type of work to your parents, Danny, and that Phantom lad."

Tucker tried very hard not to laugh.

"At least this explains how you know so much about the ghosts in your report. But how did you get those artefacts?"

Tucker opened his mouth to speak, but Danny covered the tech-geeks mouth with his hand. "They were dropped by those ghosts, and we've been holding them for a while, cause we weren't sure what to do with them, and we decided to use them for our report. By the way, did we pass?"

Lancer shook his head. "Yes, you did. And I'm sorry, but your parents need to be notified of your activities."

The bell rang, and the bustling of students could be heard through the closed door.

"All right, you may go. I will leave the fate of your ghost hunting job to your parents."

The three quickly left, and Danny snagged his backpack on the way out. "Terrific. Now we need to explain to our parents why we're risking our lives battling deadly ghosts."

Tucker was going to comment, but got whacked on the head by one purple polished hand, and one tanned.

**Tucker's a big mouth :D**


	8. Proud and Angry Parents

**Proud and Angry Parents**

_Danny:_

"Why didn't you tell us you wanted to hunt ghosts?" Maddie asked her son. "We would have taken you out and shown you the ropes!"

"Finally, I can HAVE a sidekick instead of being one!" Jack said happily.

Danny groaned. Time to break their hearts and listen to a lot of sobbing...from his father. But how could he continue being Phantom when his parents followed him every time they heard get up in the middle of the night or worse, planted a tracking device on him?

"Mom, Dad, that was a onetime thing. I had the Blaster and thermos because Tucker wanted to study them."

"For what?" Maddie asked with a frown.

"It's Tucker. Who knows what goes on in that twisted head of his?"

Maddie studied Danny for a moment. "So, there's no chance you're going to become a ghost hunter like your father and I?"

"Never." One of many lies he and his friends have been forced to tell.

As predicted, his father began sobbing into a large hanky. "Why, Danny? WHY?"

Danny awkwardly patted Jack on the back. "Dad, I'm just not into ghost hunting, that's all."

"NOOO!" Jack wailed.

Maddie consoled her husband. "Danny showed real skill battling those low-down ghosts, so he has our ghost fighting genes!"

Danny tried to sneak upstairs but a black gloved hand fell on his shoulder. "Not so fast, young man. We're very proud that you fought those ghosts and won; it shows the time we spent training you and Jazz has paid off. But you brought Sam and Tucker into that mess, and you know better than to bring inexperienced people on ghost hunting missions."

Danny sighed. "Mom, Tucker and Sam were their when the ghosts attacked, and they're not inexperienced! I...showed them how to use all the Fenton gear you've invented."

Jack perked up. "Do you think one of them could be my sidekick?" He asked hopefully.

Maddie hesitated before letting go of her son's shoulder. "Well, if you've trained them, then I guess its ok. But their parents aren't going to like it."

Danny hurried upstairs. "Don't worry; it was just a onetime thing, like I said. It'll never happen again." He called down to his parents. Well, he would have to tell a different story to Lancer. How else was he going to explain to Lancer the many more bruises he was going to get?

_At least, getting busted will never happen again._

_Sam:_

"Do you have any idea how DANGEROUS ghost hunting is?" Pamela cried.

Sam was lounging in the black leather lazy chair in her rec room, watching the gory events unfold on the plasma screen. "Relax. Those ghosts came out of nowhere and we had no choice but to use the gear Danny had in his backpack."

"I don't like you hanging out with that Danny boy. His family is insane! Fighting ghosts for a living, that's crazy!"

"Mother, have you ever seen Danny's parents ever CATCH a ghost?"

"N-no."

"Then their obviously not good ghost hunters and they're not putting anyone in danger. Just themselves. And besides, Danny trained me and Tucker just in case something happened."

Pamela was about to comment when Jeremy stormed down the stairs. "Samantha, this is the last straw! I'm filing a restraining order and this time it's STAYING!"

Sam sighed in annoyance and turned around. "Father, if you file a restraining order, I'll run away and elope with Danny. And I know by the time I get my wedding certificate that restraining won't even be active yet."

"You're only FOURTEEN!"

"Las Vegas, baby." Sam turned her violet eyes back to the horror movie.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me. And even if you try to get the restraining order in secret, I'll run off and marry Tucker." Ugh, yuck. Sam wrinkled her nose. Threw up a little, there. She reached over to the oak coffee table in front of her, where her boots where propped up, and picked up the pack of gum. She popped a stick of strawberry goodness into her mouth and tried to get rid of the foul taste.

"UGH!" Jeremy snarled and stormed back upstairs. Pamela bit her lip and sighed. "Promise you won't fight ghosts again?"

"I won't fight ghosts unless it's for self-defence or someone needs my help."

Knowing that was the most she was going to get from her daughter, she hurried upstairs to calm her husband down, leaving Sam to watch her movie and dream about marrying Danny in Vegas.

_Tucker:_

"Are you sure you're ok?" Mary asked, frantically studying him for any more injuries.

"It's just a fat lip Mom. It won't happen again."

Alex frowned. "What was Danny doing with ghost gear in his backpack?"

Tucker stuck to the story his friends had made up. He, apparently, had lost the right to speak. "I wanted to study the ghost gear, put the info in my PDA, you know, to get more informed on ghost technology."

"Well...it's a good thing you wanted it when you did. Otherwise..." He shuddered.

Tucker smiled. "Don't worry Dad; we beat the ghosts, thanks to Danny training me and Sam."

Mary shook her head. "Why didn't you tell us Danny had trained you?"

"I didn't think you'd approve." Man, these lies were flying off the tongue!

Mary sighed. "Well, I suppose it's a good skill to have. Especially in this town."

Tucker let out a sigh of relief as his parents filed out of his room. Danny's secret was safe, Sam and Tucker would have to lie low in the ghost fighting game for a while, but other than that, everything was back to normal.


	9. Vengeful Valerie and Another Project

**I don't think anyone is OOC in this chapter, but if so, I am sorry. I don't think it is necessary to say I don't own Shakespeare, as he is a person. Here we go! :)**

**A Vengeful Valerie and Another Project**

"So, what'd Lancer say?" Sam whispered to Danny, who sat beside her. Danny grinned.

"He bought it. Now you two just have to lay low for a while, and I have to find a way to keep Lancer from talking to my parents."

"No big deal. You can just overshadow them."

"The advantages of being a halfa." Tucker sighed, sitting in front of them. Danny leaned forward and whacked Tucker on the head with his binder.

"You're talking privileges have been revoked until you can stop blurting out stuff like that in public!"

Tucker rubbed his head, but went silent. Danny turned to Sam. "I can't believe your parents haven't put a restraining order on me. Not even a threatening phone call!"

Sam grinned. "I told them that if they filed one I'd run away with you to Vegas and marry you before it got activated."

Danny blushed. Tucker snickered and got another whack on the head. Lancer turned away from the whiteboard and frowned.

"Is there a problem?" He asked sternly. The trio shook their heads and quickly picked up their pens to continue writing. Lancer sighed and continued writing out his newest assignment as he thought. He was glad Sam and Tucker were banned from ghost hunting, but he wished Danny was too. But his parents WERE experienced ghost hunters, so Danny would have the proper training. Lancer had banned Danny from ghost-hunting at school, just for safety reasons. A strange sensation stirred in his gut, but he dismissed it.

Lancer turned back to his class, who were now in the process of folding paper airplanes and tossing them at the back of Daniel's head. He clapped sharply. The class instantly stopped and sat straight, like a pack of obedient and trained dogs.

_Too bad they aren't obedient to begin with. Apparently 14 isn't old enough to know NOT to throw paper airplanes in the middle of class... _Lancer thought.

"Since my English lessons bore you to tears, and ghosts seem to interest you more than Shakespeare ever will, I have decided that we will be spending the next while focusing on ghosts. It gives you a passing grade, and saves me from migraines."

The class instantly buzzed with excited whispering. Sam sighed. "Typical. Tucker and I try to stay away from ghosts, and then this happens. What did you do Tucker?"

Tucker glared, but unable to speak without receiving a 'penalty', he simply slumped in his seat and scowled.

Lancer reached into his desk and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "I need you all to bring these to your parents and have them signed. We will be taking a little field trip to Fenton Works."

Danny paled, and Tucker snickered. He ducked his head to avoid the black binder swinging his way.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton have been kind enough to allow us to take a tour of their lab, and explain what exactly they do."

The bell rang, signalling the end of the day. The students jumped up and rushed to the door, pushing and elbowing others to get out of their way. Danny, Tucker and Sam shuffled out after.

"How can my parents do this to me?" Danny whined as they walked home. "I'm already a nerd and get whaled on enough. My parents won't be helping my social status!"

Tucker arched an eyebrow, but Danny held up a hand. "REVOKED!"

Sam rolled her eyes, but glanced up at the sky. "Huh. I wonder what Youngblood is doing here."

Surprised, Danny followed her gaze and spotted the small boy ghost flying through the air. "He doesn't SEEM to be causing trouble...he actually seems scared."

"No wonder!" Sam cried, watching in horror as Valerie sped above them on her rocket sled.

Danny's ice blue eyes widened. Youngblood was a pain, sure, but he certainly wasn't evil enough to be caught by the Red Huntress! And no one knew better than him what it felt like to be hunted by Valerie. He thrust his backpack into Tucker's arms and hurried behind a wall. A flash of blue light later and he was hurrying to Youngblood's rescue.

"Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" Youngblood cried as Val shot three rapid pink blasts at him.

Green eyes narrowed behind the red mask. "Kidnap all the parents in Amity Park and get off scot free? I don't think so, brat!"

A blast hit Youngblood, and he went crashing into the pavement below. Valerie flew down after him, and raised the ecto-gun for the final shot.

"NO!"

A white gloved hand came out of nowhere and jerked the gun upward, causing the pink blast to shot skyward. Val whirled around and snarled as Phantom hurried down and picked the unconscious ghost-kid up.

"It's only typical you would stick up for your kind, Phantom. I bet you had some part in it, too!"

Phantom shook his head. "No, I helped save the adults, I swear! It's just that...Youngblood doesn't really know any better. He's just a kid. And he didn't really harm them, anyway. In fact, they actually got firm glutes because of it."

Valerie gagged. "Ugh, too much info. But anyone who threatens my dad doesn't get off without punishment. SEVERE punishment."

Danny's eyes narrowed and he removed the Fenton thermos from behind his back. "Sorry, Youngblood. I'll check on you later." He whispered, and sucked the injured ghost into the thermos. Valerie gawked.

"Th-that's the Fenton's!"

"I know. I stole it from them. Their ghost defence is lousy."

Valerie glared. "Fine. If you won't let me nail the brat, then I guess you'll have to pay for it!"

Danny dodged the next few blasts and suddenly noticed a square, silver and green box with a small blue button on the side. He noted that the pesky parrot had not been with Youngblood, and Bones was pretty protective of the young ghost, no matter how much he annoyed it.

Swooping down, he reached an intangible hand through the rocket sled and pulled the containment box through. Valerie cried out in fury.

Danny sped down to a group of bushes and tossed the metal thermos and box to Sam and Tucker, who were crouched among the thicket. "Keep these away from Valerie. I'll explain later."

Sam and Tucker, who have gotten used to brisk and not-so-clear directions, quickly did as he said, taking the devices deeper into the bushes.

Danny led Valerie away from his two friends, and when he was satisfied they were far enough, he raised his finger and shot a green blast to one of the rockets. A direct hit! Valerie screamed in shock as she careened downward...right into Amity Lake.

Danny giggled, and zoomed back to where Tucker and Sam were waiting. He transformed in the bushes and jogged over to where his friends stood.

The sound of whirring rockets startled them, and Sam quickly hid the silver devices behind her back as a wet and dripping Valerie flew by, fuming and cursing.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief. Sam pushed the green button on the thermos, and Youngblood fell to the ground in a heap.

"Oh, my head." Youngblood moaned. "Who was that meanie?"

"THAT was the Red Huntress. You'll want to stay away from her. She'll blow to smithereens."

Youngblood sat up. "Well, I guess I'd rather be sucked into a thermos than blown to 'smithmarines'." He frowned. "Why did you help me?"

Danny thought for a moment. "Well, you're not exactly the worst enemy I've ever had. And besides, I saved Skulker once, so..." His eyes widened. "Oh, shoot. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. You didn't hear anything from me, kay? 'Cause Skulker's gonna blow ME to smithereens."

Youngblood nodded. Then worry and fear raced through his glowing green eyes. "Hey, where's Bones?"

"Oh, yeah." Sam reached behind her back and pulled the small box. She pushed the button and a green light flashed. The skeletal parrot shook itself out, and spotted Youngblood.

"Youngblood!" He cried happily, and instantly perched on top his shoulder. Youngblood brightened. He fondly stroked his companion while Danny smiled strangely.

"Ok, I'm gonna do something I normally never do. I am going to let you go, BUT only if you promise to behave. If you want to go back to the Ghost Zone, just visit one of these guys and they'll give me the heads up. The last thing you want is to be caught in one my parent's ghost traps. Deal?"

"Deal! Thanks, Phantom dude." Youngblood hurriedly flew off before Phantom changed his mind.

Sam smiled. "That was kinda nice. Ya know, being civil to one another."

Tucker nodded his agreement. Danny grinned. "Ok, because I'm feeling sentimental, you're talking privileges have been re-established. And yeah. I don't how long this will last, but it's nice to have a conversation with one of our enemies without death threats in them."

Tucker sighed in relief. "Thanks man. I couldn't last much longer."

Sam smirked. "Yup, you just need to talk. Blabbermouths like you can't stay silent for more than a day."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

The three hurried off to Danny's house, ready to explain why they were so late.


	10. FentonWorks,Jack's Stupidity and Relief

**A Trip to FentonWorks, Jack's Stupidity and Lots of Relief**

Danny blinked, trying to clear the haze that blocked his vision. Youngblood had gone to Sam's at three in the morning, whining that he wanted to go home. Sam had called Danny on his cell, and a groggy Danny had disarmed the system and opened the portal, allowing the young ghost to happily fly home.

"How come you don't look like you want to collapse?" Danny asked, rubbing his eyes. Lancer's class was on their way to FentonWorks, and Danny was too tired to panic and worry.

Sam smiled. "I'm a creature of the night. I can stay up all night and be refreshed for the day."

"Hiya, kids!"

Danny winced, and watched his mother usher them inside, saying something about cookies. "I really hope this will go by quick."

Maddie led them all downstairs to the lab, where she described each weapon in detail and told them the proper thing to do if they ever saw a ghost; RUN, and call in for professional help.

"THEY count as professional help?" Tucker asked in amusement. Sam snickered.

There were only a few incidents. Kwan accidently blasted Mike with the Fenton Blaster, and he had to go to the hospital for burn treatments. Paulina, mistaking the Lipstick Ecto-Laser for actual lipstick, also had to be rushed to Emergency. It...Wasn't pretty.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief. Almost done. All that was left was the ecto-tracker, and then they could go back to school and write their report on why they liked this trip.

"All right, kids. This button here shows us where the ghost scum is, and this doo-hickey tells me when the little red blip thing is moving. And this-is the Fenton Fudge Dispenser!"

Danny's eyes widened in horror as Jack's finger landed on the large red button. Three heads swivelled towards the Fenton Portal, the alarms going crazy.

"Please, please, PLEASE don't be Skulker!" Danny begged, watching the doors slide open. Sam and Tucker would have to cover him somehow. His parents thought he didn't ghost fight, and Lancer thought he did. Oh, Dad, WHY? Why must you do this to me?

Sam and Tucker tensed, ready to tackle their peers out of harm's way.

"...BEWARE!"

Danny let out another sigh of relief as his parents instantly whipped out ecto-guns and the Fenton Fisher. Even his parents could handle the Box Ghost. Sam and Tucker sagged in relief as well.

"I am the Box Ghost! Master of Boxes and-"

The coverall ghost yelped in shock when Jack flinged the Fenton Fisher, Maddie evacuated the class outside.

Lancer quickly did a role call before sighing in relief. All present and accounted for. The class was milling on the sidewalk chatting in excitement, but the fear was still in their expressions. Except...

Daniel, Samantha and Tucker seemed at ease, not even threatened, as if they KNOW there isn't a threat. But how? They had said ghost-hunting was a one-time thing, unless they acquired information from Daniel himself. But why hadn't Daniel joined his parents in fighting that ghost? Maybe he thought they didn't need his help...

Lancer frowned. So many thoughts ran through his mind. Each with a reasonable explanation.

But were they TOO reasonable? And Valerie had come in class with a scratch on her cheek. Sure, they were lots of explanations, but...

But now that he thought about it, there was no sign of any of those artefacts the trio had brought in for their first presentation. Daniel had said they had brought them back to the lab. Was it possible they had gotten them from the Ghost Zone itself? No, even Maddie and Jack hadn't been in the Ghost Zone yet. Daniel would never bring his two friends into danger. Unless he already knew it and memorized whatever was in that contraption...

Valerie stood at the edge of the lawn, frowning. She was still ticked that Phantom had helped that little brat get away. She knew he was no good! She really wanted to help bust that blue ghost that had come from nowhere, but her father would KILL her if he ever found out she did ghost hunting as a...hobby. And besides, the Fenton's were professionals. They could handle anything.

Sam, Danny and Tucker stole away from the crowd and crouched by the basement windows, watching intently as Danny's parents shot at the panicked Box Ghost, who was startled at having strange people shooting at him.

Danny snorted. "Finally! That took them, like, fifteen minutes! It only took us five."

Tucker continued watching for a moment, and then paled. "Um, Danny? Isn't that the Fenton Molecule Destroyer?"

Danny's blue eyes widened, and he watched in horror as his parents but the Box Ghost in a containment holder and inserted it into the machine.

The Fenton Molecule Destroyer. A metal machine with one tube that the ghost was shoved in. After a few seconds of beeps and flashing lights, the thermos or box or whatever device was used came out the other tube empty, the ghost inside being disintegrated and destroyed, each molecule being ripped out. Danny had gone to extremes, breaking the machine, filling it with dead fish, sticking a cork down one end, but every time his parents fixed it. So Danny simple kept an eye on any ghosts they caught-which was none.

"Aw man!" Danny instantly transformed and phased into the lab. The sensors went wild, but Danny ignored the blaring alarms and shouts by his parents and reached an intangible hand into the machine, shooting tiny blasts to keep the furious ghost hunters back. Retrieving the small cube, he flew back out and transformed, watching his parents burst through the front doors and take off down the street.

Sam shook her head. "Man that was CLOSE!" She leaned over and pushed the button, letting the dazed Box Ghost out.

"BEWARE...what happened?"

"You were about to be destroyed by my parents. Your welcome." Danny said.

The Box Ghost blinked, studying Danny until he squirmed with discomfort.

"Could you stop staring at me like that? It's kinda creeping me out."

"BEWARE! And...THANK YOU!" The Box Ghost flew off. Danny gawked. "Did he just thank me? Oh man, this is a weird week. I'm trying to keep my secret from getting out, you two are trying to avoid getting caught around ghosts, and I'm actually being civil to my enemies!"

"Does that mean you won't put the Box Ghost back in the Ghost Zone?" Tucker asked, standing up and brushing the dirt off his pants.

"No, I'll catch him...later." The three slipped back into the crowd of students, who made their way back to school under Lancer's order.

Valerie scowled when she saw a blue blur fly through the air. She had heard the Fenton's screaming something about the Phantom. He sure was becoming more of a pain than usual.

But no worry. Valerie thought. I'll have my revenge.

On ALL of them. No ghosts can hide from me.

And none will escape, either.

**DU DUN DUH! Once again, I hope all characters are...in character. **

**Until next time!**


	11. GiW Blueprints and Valerie's Discovery

**GiW Blueprints and Valerie's Discovery**

Guys in White Agent Harrison at attention; facing his boss, Joe Granite, who was seated at his desk. Harrison laid out a blue sheet of paper, filled with sketches and scientific notes.

"Sir, I believe we have created the ultimate weapon."

Granite frowned, studying the work his scientists had come up with. "What exactly is it?"

"It is a Ghost Bomber. We can drop it into the Ghost Zone, and the best part is, while it will completely destroy their world, our world will be completely unaffected by it."

Granite leaned back in his leather chair, eyebrow raised. "If we destroy all the ghosts, how can we study them?"

Harrison hesitated. "I...guess we don't."

Granite sighed in annoyance. "I'm paying you and your team of scientists millions of dollars to come up with new ghost CATCHING technology. Not ghost destroying technology. You better not have made a prototype."

Harrison paled, which was not noticed by Granite. "Of course not sir. We will file these blueprints into the 'Discarded' folder and work on something new."

Harrison left the office, and filed the blueprints away. He then pulled out his walkie-talkie.

"Langland, you there?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I need you to store the Ghost Bomber in the abandon warehouse located thirty kilometres from here. I want to lock that warehouse up and keep a security camera there for extra surveillance."

"But-"

"No questions! Just do it and report back to me when your task has been completed." Harrison turned the device off and headed back to confer with the scientists, unconcerned.

After all, no one would find the prototype anyways.

Valerie walked down the halls and spotted Danny and Tucker. She hurried up to them.

"Hey Danny, have your parents caught the weird blue ghost yet?"

Danny glanced at Valerie suspiciously. "Yeah, they have. No need to worry."

Valerie blinked at the brush off. What had she done recently to make him mad? "So, where's Sam?"

"To free the frogs in the bio lab." Tucker said, shouldering his backpack. "I better get going. See you, Danny."

Danny nodded, and after a quick glance at Valerie, he walked off in the opposite direction. Valerie stood alone for a moment, confused, before hurrying off to meet her father at the Main Base.

"So, have you done what I asked?" Harrison questioned the young Agent.

"Yes sir. But I still-"The crackly-voiced teen was about to say before he was silenced. Harrison looked at him sternly.

"Look, the Ghost Bomber was meant to destroy the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, and it wouldn't affect our world at all. But Granite prefers studying them to destroying them. So I had to hide it in the one place he would never go. The warehouse. I cleared all financial records so he won't know we spent the lab money on the prototype BEFORE we showed the blueprints to him. You are going to watch the security monitors 24/7 to make sure no one goes there. AND not a word about this to the boss. Understood?"

"Understood." Trent said, a bit nervously.

Valerie squeezed herself between the wall and the open door, holding her breath as the two agents walked out.

A diabolical grin split her face. A weapon that destroyed all the ghosts in the Ghost Zone? It was perfect! The little brat, the blue ghost, all of them-destroyed!

Especially Phantom.

Valerie would have broken into an evil laugh then and there if she hadn't heard her father calling.

**Chapters a bit short, sorry! Anyone getting a clue of what might happen? And liking it? :)**

**Not many chapters left to go! **


	12. Invasion and a Close Call

**Invasion and a Close Call**

Danny glanced around the crowded gym, where all Casper High students and staff were there for an assembly. "Has Valerie been acting, I don't know, weird lately?"

"It could from the brush off you gave her yesterday." Tucker commented.

Danny sighed. "I didn't mean to be cold, but she nearly killed Youngblood with absolutely no emotion other than anger." He paused. "Hmm...Can you kill a ghost? One of life's great questions."

Sam rolled her eyes and was about to say something when Principal Ishiyama went up to the podium.

"Settle down, students. As you know, this is the annual student awards ceremony. We will begin-"

Well, it didn't begin, as two ghosts phased through the wall behind her. Danny's eyes widened. "Typical. Just typical."

Skulker and Technus flew above the panicked crowd, searching. The students were screaming, running around in blind panic. The teachers were in the process of evacuating, but it wouldn't be quick enough. Sam narrowed her violet eyes and glanced at Danny. "You and Tucker find a place to hide. I'm going to distract Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb."

Danny hesitated. "But Sam-"

Sam waved her hands, shooing the two boys away. "We'll work on our excuses later. It won't be long before Valerie shows up and complicates things."

Obeying, Danny and Tucker slipped through the crowd and hid under the bleachers.

Skulker scowled. "I can't find him anywhere! There are too many humans milling about, he blends right in!"

Technus allowed two wires to come from his back, sparking with electricity. "Then we will blast them out of our way!" He laughed manically.

Skulker eyed him. "I can't believe I agreed to team up with you."

"HEY, MORONS!"

The two ghosts whirled around to see Sam grinning at them from the stage. "Looking for someone? I think I know where he is."

Skulker allowed a plasma canon to stretch from his armour. Lancer noticed this across the gym, where he was in the middle of ushering a group of students out the gym fire escape doors. He widened his eyes in horror.

"SAMANTHA!"

Sam didn't hear him, as she was focused on the two threatening ghosts before her. Well, one. Technus was more of an annoyance.

"No games, child. Where is the whelp?"

Sam smirked. "Well, I'll tell you. IF you can catch me!" She reached out and pulled a piece of rope that hung from the ceiling. Instantly, a trap door opened up under her and she disappeared just in time to avoid the plasma blast.

Skulker swore. "Technus, you follow the child. It's obvious she's trying to lead us away from the whelp."

Technus blinked. "Why do I have to go into the trap?"

"Because I said so, that's why. And if you don't, I'll download you into a little girls IPod."

"NOT JUSTIN BIEBER!" Technus cried out.

"Exactly. Now GO!" Technus shot after the Goth girl, cursing.

Danny glanced around the gym. It was now empty, with the exception of Skulker, of course. He turned to Tucker.

"Ok, let's make this quick. Sam has led Technus away, so we have to delay Skulker and help her before Technus catches her. And we have to do all this before my parents or Valerie shows up. Got it?"

Tucker nodded, his hands flying across the tiny PDA touch screen. "It's set. Distract Skulker for a minute and it'll be ready."

Danny transformed. He flew out to the middle of the gym. "Hey, if it isn't the Greatest Hunter of the Ghost Zone. Wait, scratch that. If you were so great, you'd have me as your pelt!"

Skulker snarled, the plasma canon firing up. "You insolent whelp!"

Danny easily avoided each blast, but with each evasion Skulker grew more and more furious.

_Hurry up Tucker!_

"Got it!" Skulker whirled his head around, and widened his green eyes as Tucker came out from behind the bleachers, brandishing his beloved PDA.

"NO! I swear, if you-"He was cut off as his armour beeped and blipped, before he shot through the roof and sped off. Danny grinned. "Let me guess, the purple-backed gorilla wild reserve?"

Tucker smiled. "Yup. He should have fun."

Danny lifted Tucker up and phased them through the roof. "He deserves it. Now, let's go and get Sam before Technus fries her and Skulker comes back from his little field trip."

**Another short one, I know. And nothing against Justin Bieber fans, I just went a little crazy when I heard he was getting his own movie. I mean-never mind. Sorry, again. **


	13. Sam's Rescue and Another Save

**Sam's Rescue and Another Save **

Sam raced through the streets of Amity Park, ducking into allies and hiding behind dumpsters. She was glad that Technus was also the Master of Long-Winded Speeches; she could hear him coming a mile away.

But after twenty minutes, she had finally been cornered at the soccer park. Nowhere to hide and no escape from Technus' electrocuting wires. Sam frantically scanned the vast green fields and open blue skies.

_Come ON, Danny! Where are you?_

Technus cackled when he spotted Phantom's gloomy sidekick in the middle of the large fields, with no more places to hide. "Finally, child, I have caught you! You shall rue the day you messed with Technus-"

"The Master of Technology, I know, I know!" Sam snapped bitterly. Oh, man, did this ghost give her a headache.

Technus scowled. "Don't finish my sentences for me, child! It's annoying." Two thin, black wires sparking at the tips shot toward Sam.

Sam snorted. "You're calling ME annoying?" She carefully watched the black wires, dodging and cart-wheeling out of the way. Sam winced as one of the wires missed her face by an inch.

_Hurry up, guys..._

Danny flew through the skies, scanning the ground below. "Tucker, you got anything?"

Tucker studied his PDA. "Nothing-wait! Amity Soccer Park and we better hurry. These electricity ratings are through the roof!"

Technus was getting annoyed. It was bad enough he got beat by the ghost boy, but his human sidekicks? That was just embarrassing! Although he could name a few other ghosts who had gotten beat by those meddlesome twerps.

"Hey, Technus!"

The techno-ghost glanced up in surprise, only to get smacked in the face with a plasma blast. He hurtled backwards, and crashed into one of the goal posts. Sam collapsed on the ground, panting.

"It's about time!" She snapped irritably. Danny grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Sam. Tuck, you ready?"

"Just a few more seconds, dude."

Danny nodded, and turned to where Technus had landed. He frowned. "Aw, man. Where'd he go?"

"Right here!"

Danny spun around and watched as both wires shot towards him, and three plasma blasts towards Tucker.

"Tucker, watch out!" He cried, ducking the wires.

Tucker glanced up just in time to see the three green blasts coming towards him. "Aw, crap!" he tuck and rolled, easily dodging the attack. "Say your prayers, Technus!"

Technus backed away as Tucker pushed a button on his PDA. "No. No. NO!"

Immediately, his techno-armour crashed, rendering the ghost weak. Technus waved a fist in the air.

"Curse you ghost boy and your meddlesome sidekicks!"

Danny grinned and removed the Fenton Thermos. "Don't worry Technus. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you next week." He was about to suck the ghost in when a red blast struck his hand. "OW!"

Sam and Tucker cursed before running off and diving behind the dumpster before the Red Huntress showed up.

Valerie swooped down on her rocket sled. "Looks like I'll be killing two birds with one stone."

Danny shook his smoking hand and glanced at Technus. He was in no condition to fight, thanks to Tucker's hacking job. He yelped as Valerie whipped out a Molecule Ripper. Danny had no idea how Valerie managed to get her hands on his parent's invention, considering the fact it was only in the blueprint stage, but he didn't have time to ponder. Valerie was aiming it at the fallen Technus.

He swooped in and grabbed Technus, narrowly missing the pink shot.

Sam and Tucker glanced up as Danny placed Technus beside them. "Valerie has the Molecule Ripper. Oh, man, she had the Molecule Ripper!"

Sam put a calming hand on Danny's shoulder. "It's gonna be alright." She held up the silver cylinder with a grin. "I picked it up when we went running for a hiding spot. I'll suck you and our little tech-doofus in and slip away."

Tucker frowned. "Why can't he just transform?"

Sam slapped him upside the head. "Because, idiot, she'll see the blue light and come looking. We won't be able to get away in time and Danny will be busted!"

"Oh, yeah. My bad."

Sam turned the light-setting down and sucked the two ghosts in. She grabbed Tucker by the arm and dragged him out of there.

Valerie looked around frantically. There was no sign of Phantom or his friend. She cried out in frustration, a cry that echoed through all of Amity Park.

Sam and Tucker made it back to Danny's without trouble. They slipped down to the lab. No Maddie or Jack. Or Valerie. With a sigh of relief, Sam pushed the green button and watched as Danny and Technus landed on the floor with twin groans of pain.

"I HATE that thing." Danny moaned, hauling himself from the ground and transforming.

"Hey, how come the ghost sensors aren't going crazy?" Tucker asked.

Danny smiled. "Dad blew a circuit and the system went down. Talk about luck." He gently nudged Technus with his foot. "Dude, you ok?"

Technus looked at the ghost boy and his sidekicks, each looking at him with...worry? Concern? He didn't know. He wasn't familiar with such emotions. He simply nodded.

The ghost boy smiled. "Well, that's good to hear. Val-I mean, the Red Huntress, nearly tore you apart molecule by molecule." He went over and opened the ghost portal. Two blue eyes glanced at him apologetically. "You'll have to back to the Ghost Zone. It's not safe out here with the Red Huntress on the loose. Do me a favour, and warn the other ghosts for me, will ya?"

Technus just stared. "Why, why did you help me?"

Danny looked taken aback. Why? Hmm...he was never really asked that question before by his enemies. He thought for a moment. "Well...I guess it's because it's just what I do."

"Yeah, your just a really big pain other than a threatening enemy."

Technus turned to the gloomy girl, who was smirking at him. The geek was playing around with his PDA. Suddenly, Technus' armour came back online. "My fault, man. I did TOO good a hacking job it crashed your system."

Footsteps from upstairs could be heard. Danny paled. "Shoot, my parents! You gotta-"

Technus was already halfway through the portal. He looked back at the three. "Th-thank you." That was all he could get out. For once in him afterlife,

Technus was speechless.

**Everyone in character? I hope so. And no, I was not lying when I said they were making a Justin Bieber movie. Sad, isn't it? **


	14. Savin' Skulker and Lancer's Questions

**Savin' Skulker and Lancer's Questions**

Lancer sat back in his car, stunned by what he saw. During the battle, the trio had missed the black SUV parked in the parking lot, nearly hidden by a clump of bushes. He had raced after Samantha when he saw her getting chased by that ghost. He ended up at the soccer park, and was about to go to her aid when he heard her clearly shout,

"_Master of Technology, I know, I know!_"

Lancer had froze. How had she known what that ghost was going to say? It was as if she knew him. Sam had certainly shown no fear dodging the strange black wires that ghost had attacked her with.

Now, that wasn't surprising. Sam was an excellent gym student. What surprised him was when Phantom himself arrived on the scene and sent the ghost flying, with TUCKER. Tucker, a student who was failing gym, had easily dodged the green fire shot at him.

Technus, as he discovered was the ghost's name, fell to the ground, cursing 'ghost boy and his meddlesome sidekicks.'

If that wasn't too much to take in, his two students and the Phantom had frozen, then Sam and Tucker had bolted for the dumpster and disappeared from his view. A womanly figure dressed in red began shooting at Technus, but the Phantom had grabbed Technus and flew him behind the dumpster. After a few moments, Sam and Tucker had slipped from their hiding place, sneaking off with a strange silver cylinder in their possession. The red-clad woman, seeing no sign of her ghosts, screamed in frustration and sped off.

Questions raced through Lancer's mind. How did Sam and Tucker know the Phantom? How did they know the ghost who had attacked them? Had they been attacked before? Why were they frightened of the women in red? And why did her voice seem so familiar? Weren't Sam and Tucker supposed to be banned from ghost hunting?

And most importantly, where was Danny?

Danny watched as Technus slipped through portal before closing it quickly. Sam and Tucker tensed as the Fenton's walked past the lab. Silence followed. Three sighs of relief filled the room. Danny transformed and picked up his two best friends and the Fenton thermos.

"Come on guys, we gotta find Skulker before Valerie does!"

Valerie flew through the skies on her rocket sled, swearing. Those ghosts had evaded her! Well, she would find them. She would-

She froze, watching a body armoured ghosts fly a few feet in front of her. He hadn't seen her yet. Grinning, she held up the Molecule Ripper. She had...borrowed the blueprints from the Fentons a few nights before and got to work building it. But she had returned the blueprints after she was done with them.

Valerie held up her weapon and fires a few shots.

"NOOOO! LOOK OUT!"

Valerie watched in shock and anger as the blasted Phantom tackled the armoured ghost out of harm's way.

Skulker yelped as he was pushed down to the ground. He glared at Phantom, who was shoving him towards an ally. "What do you think you're doing, whelp? I'll-"

"Be quiet! Valerie's gonna blast you with the Molecule Ripper! How great of a ghost hunter will you be when your torn into molecule pieces!"

Skulker yanked himself out of his grasp, a missile launcher popping out of his armour. "Whelp, I outta tear YOU into pieces. And I can take care of myself. You made a big mistake, putting yourself in my capture. "

Danny groaned. "I don't have time for this. SAM!"

Skulker whirled around, only to get whacked upside the head. Blackness enveloped him.

Sam dropped the metal pipe and quickly sucked the unconscious ghost into the thermos. "Tucker hacked into Val's rocket sled, so she should be coming down-"

A high-pitched shriek cut Sam off as Valerie crashed into the dumpster. Tucker jumped out of the alley and slammed the lid down before Valerie could see who her attacker was. Danny picked up the Molecule Ripper and glanced at Tucker, who nodded.

"All blueprints and data of the Molecule Ripper cleared and destroyed."

Danny breathed another sigh of relief as he picked up Sam and Tucker and flew them back to FentonWorks.

Skulker groaned his head pounding. "When I see that whelp and his friends I'll vaporize them!"

He sat up, only to see a piece of paper stuck to his chest. Confused, he read it.

_Sorry about the attack, but did you really want the Red Huntress having YOU as a pelt? Your welcome._

_The whelp and his twerps._

Skulker blinked for a moment, slightly surprised that they had saved him. Sure, Phantom had saved him before, but that was a minor save.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Technus said, floating up to join the baffled hunter.

**I'm not sure about this one. Feedback would be nice, thanks!**


	15. Valerie's Ultimate Plan

**Valerie's Ultimate Plan**

Valerie scowled, scanning her laptop for the downloaded blueprints of the Fenton Molecule Ripper. But she couldn't find them. Someone had hacked into her database and deleted her records! And when she went back to FentonWorks to 'borrow' the blueprints again, they were all locked up in an indestructible vault that was ghost proof!

Valerie thumped her head on her computer desk. She had been hoping to use the Molecule Ripper to get Phantom out of the picture, and then use the Ghost Bomber to take out the other ghosts in the Ghost Zone. Those other two ghosts had just been an inconvenience.

But she would just have to hope that Phantom was in the Ghost Zone when she put her Ultimate Plan into action.

Danny, Sam and Tucker were crowded around a picnic table, studying Tucker's PDA for any signs of new Valerie Plans.

"Got something!" Tucker cried, and typed a few buttons. "She's researching the location of an abandon warehouse thirty kilometres from the GiW Main Base." Tucker frowned. "Why would she be interested in an old warehouse?"

Danny's expression darkened. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."

It was dark, and Valerie crouched in a clump of bushes surrounding the warehouse. She fiddled with her Tech-Watch 777 and shut down the security system. This only left her a few minutes to get in, and get out.

She hurried over to the grey, wooden, run down shack and pried the door open. There, in the middle of the room, was a slim silver missile. It was the size of a SmartCar, easily movable if Valerie hooked it up to her rocket sled and put the boosters on hyper sped. She hooked up the silver chains to the ends of her sled and powered up.

Valerie made it out mere seconds before Harrison arrived.

Danny, Sam and Tucker were crouched in the rafters, listening to the Agents conversation over the talkie.

"Granite is going to have me fired and erased from the system if he finds out!" Harrison shouted. "We need to find that missile before whoever took it launches it into the Ghost Zone!" A brief pause. "No, it won't destroy our world, only theirs! The Fenton's have banned us from their property so we can't go there..."

Danny turned to look at Sam and Tucker with horror on his face. "I can't believe it. Valerie's going to...blow up the Ghost Zone!"

Tucker paled. "Dude...what are we going to do?"

Sam hesitated. "If...if you show Valerie you're the Phantom, maybe he won't go through with it."

Danny shook his head. "NO! It won't work. Val's...lost it. She's gone off the deep end. And...I just can't reveal my alter-ego to anyone. I can't risk it!"

"But all your enemies already know who you really are." Tucker pointed out.

"Actually, I'm not worried about those guys. I'm worried about THEM." Danny pointed to the GiW agent, who had angrily chucked the walkie-talkie across the room and was storming out.

Sam sighed in worry. "Well...we'll just have to warn them."

Tucker frowned. "Wait. Valerie can't use the Fenton portal due to the DNA opening...so that means-"

"VLAD!" All three chorused in horror.

Vlad Plasmius was in his lab working on his latest clone, when a large bang rang out from upstairs.

"What in blazes?" Vlad phased through the floor and came face to face with Valerie, the girl he had given the ghost hunting gear to. Valerie glanced up, expecting Masters. "Sorry, sir, but I need-"Her face darkened.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO VLAD MASTERS?" She cried in outrage, whipping out her ecto-gun and blasting him with it.

Before the first shot struck, Vlad wondered if this is what people meant by cruel irony.

Sam and Tucker raced up the pathway leading to Vlad's mansion. They had taken the Spectre Jet, as Danny was busy evacuating the Ghost Zone. They couldn't stop Valerie without exposing Danny's secret, so Tucker and Sam wore black ski masks over their faces.

"I still think it'd go much easier if Danny showed Val who Phantom really is." Tucker gripped as he approached the large white door.

Sam sighed, shoving him out of the way and pumping the handle. "It's Danny's secret, so we have no say in whether he gets to share it or not. Let's just-"

They froze in the foyer. Glass, plastic and wood littered the hallways, as well as ectoplasium. Sam groaned. "Looks like the Red Huntress is here."

A noise that sounded a lot like an explosion racked the mansion. Plaster began falling from the ceiling. Tucker tackled Sam out of the way.

"What is she DOING?" He cried. Sam got up, shaken.

"I don't know, but we have to get out of here!"

The walls were beginning to cave in, and the roof would not be far behind. They were about to bolt when Tucker noticed something in the next room.

"Sam..."

Sam followed Tucker's gaze and hesitated. Vlad was out cold, under a pile of debris. His cat was sniffing him, meowing in concern.

Sam groaned. "The Frootloop BETTER appreciates this." They rushed into the adjoining room and grabbed the mayor by the arms, dragging him out. Tucker whistled, and the cat instantly jumped onto his head. Sam raised an eyebrow, but decided this was not the time to ask questions.

They made it out a split second before the entire mansion caved, a large cloud of dust rushing towards them.

Tucker coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. "Is it over?"

Sam glanced at the mess of Vlad's mansion. "I hope he had insurance."

Valerie was nowhere in sight.

"I don't get it. She goes to borrow his portal, but she blows up his mansion?" Tucker asked.

Sam thought for a moment. "My guess is she came to Masters, but instead found Plasmius. She freaked, and started shooting at him. Somehow, one of the blasts made it to his lab, and there was a chemical reaction of sorts."

Tucker nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. But we were sent here to stall Valerie." He wiggled the tranquilizer dart in front of Sam's face. "Since the stupid missile is indestructible, it's still active."

"And so is Valerie." Sam finished grimly. "But with one portal out of commission, do you really think she'll use Danny's?"

Tucker could only shrug. "With Valerie? Who knows?"

Vlad moaned in pain, his eyes fluttering open. "Wh-what happened?" he asked hoarsely.

Sam pointed to the smoking heap of wood and glass and plaster. "Your house took a hit. I hope you paid it off."

Vlad groaned before falling into unconscious again. Sam sighed. "Tucker, call Jazz and tell her to prep the Spectre Speeder. I'm calling the ambulance."

Tucker nodded, dialling Jazz's number on his cell. "Is he gonna be ok?"

Sam bent down and checked his pulse. "Yeah. He's just in shock because his house collapsed."

She straightened up, and glanced off into the distance. Danny was right. Valerie had indeed lost it in her quest to rid the world of ghosts. Her first casualty had nearly been Vlad himself.

A smile curled across her pale face. Vlad had given Val the armour, and he had nearly met his death at hands of the armour.

"I wonder if Vlad noted the irony of this situation." Sam wondered aloud.

_I certainly did, dear girl. _Vlad thought before blankness overtook his mind again.

**Uh-oh. What will Valerie do without Vlad's portal? Will she use Danny's? Or something different?**

**Find out after this chick goes trick-or-treating!**

**MWA-HA-HA**

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY! :D**


	16. Healing Vlad and Dead End

**Healing Vlad and a Dead End**

Tucker waited outside the hospital doors, unable to go inside without having a panic attack. Sam came through the double glass doors, and Tucker glanced up.  
"How's the Frootloop?"

Sam pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "He'll be fine, just out cold. I left a note telling him to stay out of the Ghost Zone for a bit."

Tucker shook his head. "I still can't believe Valerie nearly killed him."

"Tuck, its Valerie. He was in his ghost form, so he's lucky we were there. Come on, we better get to FentonWorks and help Danny."

Jazz glanced up, worry on her face, as the duo entered the lab. "Guys, what's going on?"

Sam sighed. "Not now, Jazz. We'll explain later. Is the Spectre Speeder ready?"

The redhead shook her head. "No, dad accidently busted it. How? You really don't want to know. But I got these." She held up two Fenton Jet Packs. Tucker grinned at the green and silver devices. "Awesome. That's even better than the SS." He grabbed one and strapped it to his back. Sam did the same.

Jazz hesitated before opening the portal. "Be careful, and please come back in one piece."

"We'll try." Sam replied, tugging Tucker into the green vortex.

Danny floated in the vast space in annoyance. Where WAS everybody?

"Typical. The ONE time I actually need them, I can't find them!" He cried.

"Yeesh, a little slow, aren't we?"

Danny whirled around to see Sam and Tucker hover beside them, silver devices strapped to their backs. "What are you doing here?"

Sam sighed. "Things got...complicated. Val went to Vlad's, saw Plasmius, freaked out and accidently blew up his lab, which in turn made his house collapse, along with his ghost portal."

Danny's blue eyes widened. "You're kidding me."

Tucker shook his head. "Wish we were. Which leaves us with this-what exactly is Val gonna do without a portal to aid her?"

Danny bit his lip as he thought about the situation. Without a portal, Valerie couldn't do anything. As long as Danny kept the Fenton portal Jack-proof, the ghosts in the Zone would be safe.

For now, anyway.

"Well, the important thing to do first is to find out what Val's next move is going to be. Without ghost portal's, the Ghost Bomber is useless. I'll send a warning telling these guys NOT to leave the Ghost Zone at any time." He paused, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, did the Frootloop get out?"

Sam snorted, floating in the direction of the Fenton portal. "Yeah, thanks to US. And his cat too."

Danny grinned. "Oh, yeah, where is little Maddie?"

Tucker snickered. "In the kennel. I figured Vlad could just go pick her up when he recovers."

Danny smiled. "I'll make sure the Frootloop thanks you." He scanned the empty space, concern filling his icy gaze.

"Where ARE they?"

Valerie seethed, standing at the edge of the waste that had been Vlad's mansion. The stupid ghost had startled her, and when she tried to destroy it, she accidently made the lab explode! And now she didn't have a portal to use!

Val groaned. Vlad Masters was going to kill her! But she would have to explain later. Right now, she had two choices to choose from;

Break into FentonWorks and use their portal

Completely ditch the Ghost Bomber and find a new plan

The problems? Well, Fenton's portal had a DNA opening. Unless she could somehow convince Danny to open it, it was worthless. This sucked, because the Ghost Bomber was an awesome plan. Hmm...

Valerie slipped the red mask back onto her head as she thought. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't need Danny's help to open the portal. Just his DNA.

A cruel grin spilt across her face.

Somehow, someway, Val was going to wipe ghosts off the face of the earth.

With or without the help of the Ghost Bomber.

**DUH DUN DUH! What will Val do? And will Danny go insane if he can't figure out what Val is up too?**


	17. Ambush and Hilarity

**Ambush and Hilarity**

Danny had been up all night, stressing over Valerie and the Ghost Bomber. After the explosion, she had simply...disappeared. And that was the thing that made Danny nearly tear out his hair in frustration.

With a sigh, he hauled himself out of bed and shuffled downstairs to make himself a PB&J sandwich. It was three in the morning, and it was obvious he wasn't going to get any sleep. He came to the foot of the stairs when a female voice whispered in his ear.

"I'm really sorry, but trust me; you'll thank me for it later."

Then everything went black.

Valerie, grunted, yanking Danny down to the lab, wincing as his head bounced off each metal step. She hoped he wouldn't get a concussion from this. With a grunt, she managed to pull him right beside the Fenton portal.

The green and red lights of the computer console intimidated the Red Huntress. The last thing she wanted was to accidently set off the alarms. Approaching the machine, she hovered her fingers over the small black buttons before closing her eyes and selecting one at whim.

"_Welcome, Jack/Maddie Fenton. Please insert password._"

Oh, shoot. Biting her lip, she thought of the one thing Jack loved more than anything. Fudge. Surely Mrs. Fenton would have allowed Mr. Fenton to choose the password. At least, Val hoped so.

She typed it in and waited. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth.

"_Password accepted."_

Valerie watched as the ghost portal went active, but not open. The computer's monotone voice spoke once more.

"_Please insert Fenton DNA to open portal. Have a nice day."_

Valerie grabbed Danny's arm and dragged him over to the portal's DNA scanners. She held a finger up to the print identifier and nearly collapsed when it beeped in approval.

Val hesitated for a moment, before gently propping Danny up against the wall. She had injected him with a tranquilizer, so he should be out cold for another couple hours. She snagged the Fenton Crammer from one of the lab tables, opened the basement window and shot a green blast at the Ghost Bomber. It had been too big to carry through the door, and she had remembered Danny saying something about a device used to shrink ghosts down. If it could shrink ghosts, why not ghost weapons?

Danny moaned softly before opening his eyes. He had been given enough drugs to be out cold for a few hours, but Valerie didn't know about his super healing. The drugs had instantly been dissolved and destroyed in his system by the ghost germs.

Danny widened his blue eyes when Valerie pointed the missile into the bright green vortex. He realized in horror what she had done. He leapt up and raced to stop her, but he was too late.

Val grinned when the Ghost Bomber's timing sequence hit 0:00, and waited eagerly.

Nothing.

Surprised, Valerie stared at the idle weapon. She kicked it. It simply fell over.

"It's...a DUD? The greatest ghost weapon prototype is a DUD? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

Danny scrambled back to his previous spot before Valerie noticed he had awaken. It was not easy sitting still. His shoulders shook uncontrollably. Valerie did not notice in her rage.

"OK, THAT IS IT! IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT. YOU HAVE TOO GO IN THERE AND DO IT YOURSELF!"

Valerie snarled as she stormed up the stairs and out of FentonWorks. She couldn't really do much. All she had brought was the Ghost Bomber and the drug. She had been positive the plan would work.

His parents and sister found Danny the next morning, rolling on the cement floor, howling with relieved laughter and an open portal. They did not get an explanation, as Danny had raced to his room, eager to tell Sam and Tucker what had happened.

Sure, Valerie's threat was no laughing matter. But her mishaps sure were.

**I have an alternate chapter to this, so if lots of people don't like the direction I'm taking this story, I can switch tracks. I'm having too much fun with this story to end it yet, but I always try to make the readers happy.**


	18. Confrontation and a Message

**Confrontation and a Message**

"No way! The GB was a dud?" Tucker exclaimed as the trio walked through the doors of Casper High. Danny nodded, feeling the beginning of another laugh attack. Jazz had covered for him when he left the lab in a fit, so his parents hadn't asked him why he was in the lab at three in the morning. This was good, because Danny didn't have an answer.

"So Valerie clubbed you or what?" Sam asked.

Danny frowned. "I think she drugged me, but I'm not sure. The only thing I remember is waking up in the lab, seeing Valerie with the missile, and when I went to stop her, the thing kicked it. Then she left in a huff and I spent the next four hours having a laughing attack. My sides are still tender."

Tucker smiled. "Well, it certainly was a lucky break. But the question is, what's Val going to try next?"

Danny shrugged, turning the dial on his locker and swinging the metal door open. "Dunno. Hey, I went to check on the Frootloop last night."

Sam blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. I guess I felt obligated to or something, because I just got up and walked to Amity Hospital."

Tucker adjusted his glasses. "How is he? And did you tell him about Maddie? The cat, I mean, not the person."

Danny smirked, still finding it amusing that Vlad actually got a cat. "His fine, actually. He's getting out tomorrow, and yeah, he knows where Maddie is."

Just then Lancer stepped around the corner and spotted them hanging around Danny's locker. "You three, come with me. I've been meaning to have a word with you."

The trio exchanged confused and fearful glances as they followed the English teacher and all-around substitute down the hall to his classroom.

Lancer had gotten no sleep the past few nights, wondering how he should approach the situation. He couldn't pretend he didn't see what he saw. He needed answers. And he was prepared to keep the trio there for as long as necessary until he got them.

When they had been seated at their normal desks, Lancer shut the door and locked it before pacing at the front of the room.

"Okay, I'm going to come out with it. Samantha, Tucker, what were you doing ghost hunting when your parents specifically told you not to? And with PHANTOM. But I'll come to that later. Now, Foley? What do you have to say?"

He did not miss the pale faces and nervous expressions. Tucker hesitated before speaking. "Phantom saw me walking around, looking for Sam, and said he needed our assistance. He couldn't break into the Fenton's without the ghost alarms going crazy, so he needed me to go in and borrow the Fenton thermos. So I did, and met him at the soccer field, where he rescued Sam and defeated that ghost."

Lancer frowned. "Samantha, why did you throw yourself in front of those ghosts?"

"It's Sam." Sam corrected. "I didn't want them hurting the other students, so I tried to distract the ghosts and lead them away. It only worked on one of them though, and I know it was wrong, but I planned to slip away after."

He tapped his fingers against his desk. "You certainly didn't show any fear. You actually seemed to be having FUN. It was as if you KNEW that ghost."

"I didn't. I just enjoy the adrenaline rush and danger. Come on, Mr. Lancer. You know me by now."

_I thought I did_. Lancer thought.

He truly did. Over the years he and other members of the staff had realized that instead of being annoying and disruptive, they were becoming amusing. Instead of dreading having the trio in their class, teachers often fought for them. Lancer especially.

He wouldn't admit to Daniel, Tucker or Samantha, but he was fond of them more than he let on. He respected their individuality, their ability to ignore the insults they got for just being themselves. And just when he thought he knew everything about them, the trio surprised him.

Tucker knew the musical works of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, and knew every possible fact about them. Lancer had thought Foley only listened to Lady Gaga and Beyonce. But no, he had surprised him.

Samantha enjoyed watching plays of famous play writers, mostly anything that suited her dark nature. Lancer had been shocked when she had gotten tickets to see Shakespeare's Hamlet in the theatre, and was thrilled.

Daniel read works by some of the greatest poets, his favourite being Robert Frost. He was also good at poetry. Lancer had been moved to TEARS after reading the poem Danny had written for a project.

And he always admired the way they stood up for those who were too scared to stand up for themselves. Samantha had dumped a bowl of spaghetti on Paulina's head after she stole Nathan's glasses and broke them in half. Danny had kicked Dash in the shin in order to get him to stop beating up Mikey.

Lancer had not been there when these events occurred, but he heard them from the teachers that had.

But now his opinions of Danny, Sam and Tucker dropped harshly. He had thought they were always honest. Sure, they avoided telling the truth and giving him full details, and often side-stepped the truth. But a full out lie?

Lancer turned back and faced Sam. "Ms. Manson, I was at the soccer park when that...battle occurred. I clearly heard you call that ghost Technus."

Sam widened her violet eyes. "Well, it-it's just a nickname."

But she had left to much a pause and stuttered. Lancer narrowed his eyes. "I want you to tell me right now, Samantha; have you and Tucker been ghost fighting after you've been told not to?"

Sam felt like the time she'd been caught with one hand in the cookie jar; busted and with no way out. Sure, she could lie. But what was the point? Lancer had witnessed the whole thing, and she would slip up eventually. What was important was not giving too much away it gave up Danny's secret.

"Yes, sir. I led Technus away from the others and Tucker led Phantom towards me so he could finish him off."

"What about the other ghost? Do you know him as well?"

Sam hesitated, debating whether or not to lie on this one. She decided yes. "No, sir."

Lancer studied her for a moment. "Do you know Phantom personally?"

It took everything Tucker had not to snicker. "He often comes to us asking us to slip him Fenton inventions to help contain the ghosts he beats. That's why he has so many Fenton inventions."

The English teacher thought for a bit, processing the information he was given. "Why did you run away after the girl in red showed up?"

"You mean the Red Huntress?"

Tucker got glares that he swore burned holes in the back of his head. Aw, crap. Lancer pounced.

"You know her?"

Tucker scrambled to fix his mistake. "No, I'm just going by what the media had dubbed her. We ran away because Phantom told us too. He didn't want us in danger if the Red Huntress found me and Sam with him."

"Hmm...All right, here is the last question. Danny, where were YOU when all this was happening? You're the one who is actually allowed to ghost fight, so why aren't you?"

Danny, who had been stone still through the entire questioning process, finally spoke. "Well sir, I saw the two ghosts, but I didn't have my gear with me. So I evacuated with the others, and I thought Sam and Tucker were right behind me. Thanks for telling me what happened, guys." The raven haired boy glared at his two best friends.

Lancer sighed. "All right. You may go. But if I EVER catch you two ghost fighting again-" He pointed a stern finger at Sam and Tucker. "-I WILL be calling your parents. Understood?"

"Understood!" They chorused before rushing out the door, dragging Danny behind them. Lancer watched them go, an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief when they were out of earshot. "Aw, man. That was TOO close. We have to be more careful. Tuck, you almost let it slip about the Val!"

Tucker winced as he got a slap on the head. "I'm sorry! I saved it, didn't I?"

Sam glared. "And that is the only reason why you're talking privileges haven't been revoked! Again!"

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!"

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Sam, Tucker and Danny screamed as a shadow popped up right in front of them.

Youngblood giggled. "Sorry, maties, but you should have seen your faces!"

Danny allowed the pounding in his heart to calm. "Youngblood, what are you doing here? I told you to stay in the Ghost Zone!"

Bones sighed from his place on the young ghost's shoulder. "I tried to tell him. But he never listens."

Danny slumped. "Let me guess; Fenton Fudge Dispenser?"

Youngblood smiled. "Yeah, what is that, anyways?"

Sam punched Danny in the shoulder. "I thought you Jack-proofed the place!"

"Apparently not very well." Tucker commented.

Danny sighed in annoyance before removing the Fenton thermos from his backpack. "Sorry, Youngblood. But it's not safe out here for ghosts."

Youngblood backed away from the silver device. "But I have to tell you something! Kitty and Shadow went out this morning, and never came back. Jonny just left to look for them, and I slipped out to find you!"

Danny froze. Sam and Tucker exchanged glances. "The Red Huntress."

Youngblood's eyes widened. "The scary lady meanie?"

Danny glanced around before changing into Phantom. "Come on, guys. We gotta check out Val's place and see if they're there!"

"Can I come?"

"No." Danny said sternly, scooping up Sam and Tucker. "I want you and Bones to stay in the Fenton lab until I come get you. If you hear anyone coming, go invisible and hide until they leave. Bones, keep an eye on the twerp and if something happens, come look for me."

"I am not a twerp!"

Danny didn't hear him, as he was had flown out of earshot, leaving behind an annoyed ghost kid.


	19. The Secret is Out

**The Secret is Out**

Lancer rubbed his eyes, and had to pinch his arm twice in order to convince himself he wasn't dreaming. He had been ready to leave his classroom, and slipped in the hall only to be blinded by a bright blue light. And where Danny Fenton had been standing was now THE Danny Phantom. He had ducked back in his classroom, stunned.

It was impossible! No one could be half dead! And yet...

It explained so much. The absences, the bruises, how he knew more about ghosts than his own parents!

He was also going to bet Sam and Tucker had been trained by Danny himself, and THAT was how Tucker knew how to do a double roll. The Red Huntress...they were terrified of her because she was a ghost hunter, and Danny was a ghost! Well...half a ghost...

Lancer peeked back into the hall, where he saw the young ghost Danny and his friends had been talking too, grumbling, before he flew straight through the ceiling.

The strained and stressed teacher slid down the cement wall until he was sitting. There was no doubt Danny had flown to fight some ghost, and he certainly showed skill. But two teens? Danny should know better...

What to do with the information he had? Obviously, confront Danny, Tucker and Sam. Did their parents even know? He was guessing not...

Lancer narrowed his eyes and stood up, snagging his car keys as he left his classroom.

He did not know if he would be able to catch up to ghost kid flying through the sky with a rusty Trans Am. All he knew was, this time; Danny was NOT getting out this situation.

**It's short, I know, and sorry! I've been pretty busy. I'm guessing...five chapters to go? Maybe more, maybe less.**

**I do not own Trans Ams. Or DP. Review please!**


	20. Down with Phantom

**Lancer could see Youngblood because...well, Lancer plays videogames. So, he's a mini-kid inside. Yeah...that's it.**

**Down with Phantom**

Valerie moaned, sitting up gingerly and staring at the wreck that was her father's lab. That Phantom had foiled her AGAIN. It was getting to be annoying. But it made Valerie realize something. It was so simple, she wasn't sure why she didn't think of it before. All she had to do was lure Phantom to the Guys in White lab, trap him in one of the cells, and force him to tell her how to destroy the Ghost Zone. If he didn't answer, well, his afterlife would be no more.

But how was she going to get him there? Phantom seemed particularly fond of that ghost brat...

Something glinted in the corner. Valerie got up slowly, wincing against the pain in her torso. She stepped over broken metal and dug through a pile of sawdust until she pulled out a silver and green object.

The Fenton Spectre Deflector!

A plan took form in Valerie's mind. A plan that simply could not fail.

...

Danny Fenton winced as Sam applied ointment to the many cuts Danny had on his arm. They were in a field meters away from the wrecked lab, Danny's injuries preventing him from going any farther, for at least a few minutes. The sun shining. But it was far from a great day.

"How can I keep Valerie from destroying ghosts if they don't listen to me?" Danny complained.

"We stop Valerie. Simple as that. Vlad's portal is gone. Yours is secure. The only way Val will get what she wants is to take out the ghosts one by one. As long as you stop her, and we monitor her 24/7, everything will be ok."

"What' she doing now?"

Tucker glanced at his PDA. "She's just sitting there."

Sam bit her lip and glanced at Danny. "I really think you should show her."

"Are you crazy?"

"But if she sees Phantom is you, then she'll regret whatever she's planning! And you can do the secret for a secret deal. She keeps Phantom a secret, we don't oust her as the Red Huntress."

"No."

Sam sighed in exasperation. "Then what are we going to do? We can't keep this up, Danny."

Before Danny could respond, a Trans Am came roaring across the grass and screeched to a stop, inches from where Danny lay, shirtless and weak. All three gasped when their teacher stepped out, looking angry and worried as he glared at them.

"No more lies. No more secrets. I'm getting the story here and now, or I WILL tell your parents your Phantom, Fenton."

**CLIFFHANGER! DUN DA DU! Another short one, sorry. But I updated faster this time :D**


	21. The Story Comes Out

**The Story Comes Out**

Danny glanced fearfully at Tucker and Sam, who were staring helplessly at him. Maybe Lancer didn't really know, maybe he was just bluffing or something. Sam nervously avoided Lancer's piercing gaze, dabbing iodine on his scraps and cuts, while Tucker wound bandages on the major wounds and held the wrappings together with safety pins.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

The shout seemed to carry across the broad, empty field. Sam jumped, clutching onto Danny's sore arm. He winced, and Sam quickly let go.

Now, they have seen Lancer angry. When they put frogs in the chilli and recorded it, put it on YouTube and called it Frogs in Chile. The time they threw tomatoes at passer-by's from the roof of the mall. The time they bombed water balloons over Vlad's mayor ceremony and Lancer was the one that had to apprehend them. Oh yes. They've seen him mad plenty of times.

But now they were terrified. Lancer's face was red, his eyes positively malicious, as he waited for an answer. But what was Danny going to say? He stared at Sam, who gave the tiniest of shrugs. Tucker closed his eyes, and slowly opened them again, with a small nod. The only way they were going to get to go home, was to tell Lancer. How he knew, well, Danny was going to find out.

"I'm...Danny Phantom."

Lancer sighed in annoyance. "I know that. HOW did it happen? Don't even THINK about lying." He warned.

Sam weakly raised her hand. "My fault. Remember when the Fentons created the Ghost Zone, but they thought it didn't work? Well, I convinced Danny to go in one day when his parents weren't home. He went in, and I guess he tripped and hit the on button, because suddenly there was this blinding flash of green light, and I and Tucker were thrown back. Danny was screaming..."

Danny picked it up from there. "I felt incredible pain, and I passed out. When I woke, Sam and Tucker were staring at me, asking if I was alright. I felt ok, a little numb, and we booked it out of there. The next day, when I woke up, I was floating five feet above my bed. I freaked, and fell, straight through my bed and into the sitting room. I had become the Phantom."

Lancer's mind boggled, but he forced himself to stay on track. "You're telling me, that when this happened, none of you even THOUGHT of going to Danny's parents?"

Danny stared at the grass, and Tucker shrugged. "They're ghost hunters, Mr. L. What COULD he say? 'Hey mom and dad, I know you hate ghosts with a passion and dedicate your life to wiping them out, but guess what? I'm one of them!' He just didn't want to burden them."

"But they're your PARENTS, Danny! They have a right to know!"

Danny's head shot up, his flashing green. "No, they don't! They don't need to know ANYTHING about my ghost half or what I do. No one does. The only reason you do is because you somehow found out. We won't be making THAT mistake again."

Taken aback by his sudden ferocity, he changed tracks. "But how did you learn to control your powers? Surely they didn't come quick. And by the way, I found out because I saw you change outside my classroom."

Sam finished adding the iodine while Danny mentally scolded himself. "Tucker and I researched ghosts online, and after creating a list of powers, we spent most of our time training Danny ourselves in the old football field."

"Do you know how dangerous that could have been? He could have been unstable, and-"

"They already know how dangerous this is." Danny said sullenly. Lancer, suddenly overcome with a sense of panic, turned his attention to Sam and Tucker, who were looking uncomfortable.

"What does he mean?"

Glancing at each other, Sam pulled off her boot, revealing a nasty jagged scar that stretched from calve to her ankle on her right leg. "I said it was a chainsaw accident, but it was when Tucker and I ran to help Danny escape from Walker. Lost a lot of blood, but Tuck bandaged it up and Danny carried me to the hospital."

Tucker rolled up his yellow sweater, showing a Z-shaped stitch on his stomach. "Told my mom it was a fishing accident. I am a bit of a klutz, so she didn't ask questions. Got this beauty when I had to get Sam and Danny from Skulker's lair. Plasma blast just skimmed my stomach. Passed out, and these two got me out of there."

Lancer could not speak. The fact that three teenagers suffered beatings on a regular basis and were PROUD of them horrified him. Before he could say anything, Sam suddenly chimed up.

"But we don't care if we get hurt. As long as we can help Danny and save people, we're happy." She gently gripped Danny's shoulder. "It bugs him when we get hurt, but it bugs us when HE gets hurt. No matter what he says, we won't leave his side."

"But your just kids!" Lancer cried.

Tucker shrugged. "So? You've seen the papers. We're doing great. A few minor scrapes-"He gestured to Danny's battered upper body. "-is nothing compared to the thrill and fun we have."

Danny grinned. "Yeah. Loads of fun."

Lancer narrowed his eyes. He simply could not allow this to happen. But before he put a stop to it, he had one more question-well, two-to ask.

"So you know all those ghosts because you visit the Ghost Zone often, correct?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"But Danny's parents haven't even been in there! You could have been-"

Tucker cut him off. "We know that place like the back of our hands. We know who to avoid and where. Not ALL ghosts are bad, you know."

Lancer found this hard to believe. "Like?"

Danny ticked them off on his fingers. "Dora's ok, just don't get her mad. Youngblood is a bit of a brat, but unless he has a major plan-it normally concerns elimination of adults-he's not too big of a threat. Poindexter and I just got off on the wrong foot. Clockwork is mysterious, and to be honest, a pain since he can never give me warning. This would have been a pretty good warning." He turned his blue eyes upwards and shouted. "I know you can see this. Thanks for the warning! I am SO not getting you anything for Christmas!" He cleared his throat, and ignoring the confused Lancer, went on. "Frostbite is awesome; I'm considered the Great One. I saw that eye-roll, Tucker. Um...Johnny and them are a bit rough, but I normally leave them alone, as long as they leave me alone. Dani is also terrific, a bit young but really cool. She's my cousin. I guess I'll explain her to you after. I'll get Sam to do it; I'm running out of breath. Wulf seems like a threat, but he really means no harm. Cujo is just a pup, but he only gets really dangerous if you threaten me. So you might want to hold back on the F's, or Cujo just might show up on your doorstep. Pandora doesn't really leave her palace, so we're cool."

Sam giggled, and went on discussing Dani as Danny gulped in a big breath. "You see, Dani Phantom is Danny Phantom's cousin. Vlad Plasmius cloned her from Danny's DNA in his many failed attempts to create the perfect half-ghost son. Dani was unstable, but Danny helped get her stabilized and escape. She's on the run now, but she comes back to visit."

Lancer, who was still trying to process the information Danny gave him, frowned. "But wouldn't Danny Fenton be Dani's cousin, as well as Phantom? And who is Plasmius?"

Tucker, who had been listening with mild amusement, spoke up. "Dani was created off of Danny PHANTOM'S DNA, not Danny Fenton's. So, technically, she's Phantom's cousin. As for Vlad..." He glanced at Danny with uncertainty. Lancer noticed the worried exchanged and became alarmed.

"Who is he? Danny, tell me NOW."

Danny sighed. "Ok, Vlad Masters, mayor of Amity Park, is Vlad Plasmius, the Wisconsin Ghost."

"A GHOST is running out town?" Lancer exclaimed.

"Yes and not a good ghost either. Pay attention, I'm only going to say this once. Vlad discovered I was a half-ghost at this reunion thing we went to for my dad. He tried to get me to come over to the evil side, become his apprentice I guess, and become his son. I refused, and he's been trying to 'convince' me to change my mind. Lately, he's been trying to get rid of me and/or clone me, sometimes using these two as bait." He jerked a thumb over to Sam and Tucker, who grinned.

"It doesn't help since we call him a Frootloop. But he IS one, he's just in denial." Tucker laughed.

Lancer stared at them in slight horror. "Why don't you tell people?"

"1), if I expose him, he exposes me. Not something I want." Danny said with a wince.

"2), who is going to believe us? And if they do, they're going to become suspicious and want to know how we know." Tucker added.

"3), he's just going to get mad and inflict bodily harm on us, so don't go saying anything. I really don't want a new English teacher. I don't think they would respect my dark tones like you do." Sam said sternly.

Lancer, who had been intending to tell someone, instantly kicked the thought from his mind. The last thing he needed was three beaten teens, and Lord knows Sam would kick-ass anyone that criticized her way of life.

"Ok, ok. I won't say anything. Now, why are you so afraid of the Red Huntress?"

The major shock on their faces told him that this was an important-and possible dangerous-subject. Determined to learn everything he can to prevent more harm, he fixed each with an intense stare until Danny finally spoke.

"Well, the Red Huntress is a ghost hunter, so naturally I would be afraid. Sam and Tucker are normally with me, so every time we hear her coming-thank the Heavens for that rocket sled-they have to duck and cover as to not get themselves caught or discovered. The last thing I want is my best friends kidnapped and tortured for information."

Lancer threw the nasty image from his mind. "But why not simply overtake her? You have the skills to overpower her, I suspect."

"Well, she is just human. I don't want to harm her too badly. I'm a ghost. Scratches, cuts and scrapes take only ten minutes to heal completely, no scabs." He pointed to his arm, which was almost completely healed. "Breaks, sprains and fractures take a day or two to heal. Clean cuts; the kind that bleeds tons, take about three hours. All have to do is slow the blood flow. Bruises and black eyes take five minutes, black eyes take an hour. And a broken noise takes a full school day."

Lancer, tired of standing, sat down in the grass. "Don't your parents ever notice?"

Danny shook his head. "I wear jackets to cover the injuries that take longer, and bruises are easy to explain, but black eyes and broken noses normally heal before I get home. If not, I normally stay out with Tucker and Sam until they do."

"We help to hide the broken bones and sprains." Sam explained, packing away the first aid kit.

"I think we explained everything, so that's all you need to know." Tucker glanced up, and noticed his teacher's pale face and shallow breathing. Knowing this could take a toll on a person who isn't prepared for it, Tucker handed Lancer a bottle of water. "Don't worry, sir. Me and Sam almost had a coronary after we found out he was Phantom. The rest came easy."

"Sam and I." Lancer croaked, before clearing his throat and summoning all the strength in his body. It was time. He knew the trio wouldn't like it, but he had to do it.

"Daniel, Samantha, Tucker. I'm going to make a deal with you. I won't tell your parents you're Phantom, or anyone else, IF, you three swear and promise to stop ghost fighting."

**Uh-Oh! What to do, what to do. Sorry if it's long and boring, but Imma working on it. As for the iodine, I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's the stuff you put on scrapes and stuff, but I also thought Sans Francisco was in Chicago...don't judge me. Now for some shameless advertising.**

**Check out my story, Hogwarts Prank Wars, on the Harry Potter archive. And PLEASE review. Come on, I know there's some Harry Potter fans out there somewhere. *ahem* Sorry. **

**Until next time, my lovelies!**


	22. Answer

**Agreements and Loophole Hunting**

The silence stretched on for what seemed like forever. Finally Danny spoke.

"You're out of your freaking mind."

"Daniel!"

"You are seriously telling us to STOP saving people?" Danny could feel the rage boiling inside him. He would've burst if Sam hadn't put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Daniel, you are just a teenager! Yes, a super-powered teenager, but a teenager none-the-less! And Samantha and Tucker, you have no excuse to stick around fighting dangerous and deadly ghosts!"

Sam glared at her English teacher. "We stick around to help Danny! We have his parent's ghost gear, we've had the training! We know what we're doing."

Lancer rubbed the bridge of his nose, taking deep breaths. "You may be trained; I've seen you in action, even if I didn't know it at the time. But if you don't promise me you'll stop ghost fighting, I'm going to call your parents. And I KNOW you don't want that."

Danny could feel the pain, which had been searing earlier, now throb dully. But anger and panic overpowered the pain. He got up and brushed the grass from his pants, and jerked his head, indicating he wanted to talk to Sam and Tucker in private.

They walked a few feet from Lancer, who was eyeing them warily. Tucker, who had barely spoken, finally found his voice.

"Well. I'm pretty sure it's illegal for a teacher to blackmail a student..."

"It's not funny, Tuck! This is serious!" Sam snapped, glancing at Danny with worry.

Danny frowned for a moment. "All right. We're going to do what he says."

Sam gaped at him while Tucker shrieked. "Are you insane! What about Val-"

Danny silenced Tucker for a second before removing his hand. "Quiet! Look, I got a plan. I'm gonna call Dani, have her tail Val and relay information to us. Both portals are out of commission. She's stuck, hit a dead end. Until Val figures out something else, we have time to find a way around Lancer's deal."

Sam snorted. "Like what? We can't ghost fight behind his back, sooner or later your face is going to end up in the papers or someone will spot us."

Danny shrugged. "I know. This is why the only place he won't know we'll head is the Ghost Zone."

"...you gonna tell us why?" Tucker asked after a beat of expecting silence.

"I'm going to give Clockwork a piece of mind, and then beg for help. I'll blow up the Observer's HQ if I have to, just to eliminate their stupid rules."

Sam smirked. "I think they heard that."

Danny waved a hand dismissively and turned around, heading back to Lancer. "Relax. Dani will take care of the ghost fighting, Frostbite will take care of business in the Ghost Zone. All we have to do is keep an eye on Valerie. I have a feeling she'll be striking soon."

Valerie studied her plan, tapping a pencil against her chin. Her father was out, leaving her home alone. She sat at the kitchen counter, the dim light shining onto her crumpled notebook paper.

The plan? The plan was this:

With the Spectre Deflector hidden in the back of her closet, it was exactly what she needed. In order to finally accomplish her goal to destroy the Ghost Zone and all ghosts, she had to destroy Phantom first. Something that she seemed to have trouble doing. But now she knew. You simply couldn't BLAST the Phantom out of the sky. You had to disable him. And that is what the Spectre Deflector was for. Slap that baby around his waist, and he'd be paralyzed and weak. No power to escape. Val would then suck the pesky ghost into a Fenton Thermos and contain the thermos until she had executed her plan.

Sure, she could blow up the thermos. But that was crude. No. She would send the thermos to the GiW. There they would do tests, dissect the Phantom and drug him until he wasted away.

Valerie wanted the Phantom to suffer. She wanted him to feel the torture. For him to pay for what he had done to her.

And it would go down the next time the Phantom reared his ugly head.

...and after she lifted a Fenton Thermos off of Danny.

**Sorry! I know it's been a while, but consider this an early Christmas present! I have another story rolling around through my mind, so this one might not pick up again until after Christmas or near the New Year. If the story is dragging, sorry. I'ma trying.**

**Merry Christmas!**


	23. Confronting Clockwork

**Confronting Clockwork**

Sam leaned against the metal lab bench of the Fenton Laboratory. Tucker watched lazily as Danny entered his DNA into the Ghost Portal and was surrounded by two rings of blue light.

"You sure you don't want us to come?" Sam asked.

Danny shook his head. "Nah, you guys go. I'll meet you at Nasty Burger." He shouldered his backpack onto one shoulder, which was holding the Fenton Thermos and Blaster.

Tucker grinned widely. "Sweet. C'mon Sam. It's Double Beef Wednesday!"

Danny smiled as Tucker led a green-looking Sam up the stairs before entering the swirling green vortex that was the Ghost Zone.

Clockwork silently watched time unfold before him in the mirror. The cathedral was filled with the ticking of hundreds of clocks. The only thing out of place was the insistent banging on his front door.

"Right on time." He muttered, and with a sigh, floated over to the doors to let in a very annoyed Ghost Child.

Danny stumbled backwards, caught of balance as the heavy doors opened to reveal a calm Clockwork. Rubbing his sore fist, Danny glared.

"Would it KILL you to give a guy a warning?"

His exclamation was met with a raised eyebrow. "You know my rules. You know the rules of time."

"Uh-huh. How about we use those rules of time and take us back, say, yesterday? On the second thought, let me do it." Danny flew inside and straight for the Time Medallions. He was inches away when he felt himself freeze up. "Ya know, some rules are meant to be broken."

Clockwork shook his head. "Danny, you managed to have only your best friends know your secret. Ou have learned to lie and hide your alter-ego with great skill. Your teacher finding out was meant to happen."

"Or maybe I forgot to check the hallway."

"Danny..."

"All right, all right." He fell to the ground with a thud, head banging off one of the many shelves. Grunting, he moved his arms and legs to get the kinks out and rubbed his head before frowning. "I'm guessing you can't tell me what Val is up to, huh?"

"I'm afraid that is something you'll need to work out on your own, with your friends. Just remember, together you are strong, apart you are weak."

Danny blinked, slightly confused and mildly alarmed. "Uh...ok. Man, I knew you wouldn't tell me anything. Why did I even come up here?" He grumbled to himself.

"To blow off steam."

"OH, sure. You'll answer a rhetorical question, but not one that could mean life or death."

Suddenly Danny found himself outside Clockworks lair.

"Oh, and lay off the threats to the Observer's. They didn't take to kindly to you threatening to 'blow up' their home."

Danny stared at the door for a moment before rolling his eyes and floating home, grumbling to himself. Unfortunately, when he banged into the shelf, he didn't notice a certain dented thermos fall into the open compartment of his backpack.

**It's a bit short, sorry. I know it's been a while, but it's basically the end of the semester and all my teachers decided to unload all their tests and projects on me at once. I think I found a direction for this story to go in. I'm the type of author where I don't write anything down, I just go with it. **

**Anyway, sorry for the long while!**


	24. Pick Pocketing and DoubleBeef

**Hello, all! I just want to thank everyone for reviewing, I really appreciate it :) On with the story!**

**Pick Pocketing and Double-Beef**

Sam's violet eyes focused on the glass doors at the front of Nasty Burger. She swirled a fry in a pile of ketchup and popped it in her mouth before reaching for another. She was anxious to see hear how Danny made out, even though she knew Clockwork wouldn't tell them anything. He never did, the jerk. She tapped her fingers against the cool plastic tabletop.

"Geez, Sam, calm down." Tucker said, his voice muffled from a mouthful of burger.

Sam wrinkled her nose as a small drop of grease fell onto the red tray. Ugh. She hated Double-Beef Wednesday. "But what if Lancer comes in and sees us? He'll get suspicious, and we can't lie, because he'll know where Danny is."

"You don't that. We could say he just went to the bathroom."

"Then he'll probably sit down and wait for him to come back. Or worse, go in and check! Of all people that had to find out, it had to be our teacher..."

"Relax Sam. Lancer would never be caught dead in a health-hazard dump like this."

Sam turned her gaze back to the doors and sighed. "You're a jinx, Tuck." She grabbed him by the sleeve and tugged him away from the table, and out of their teacher's line of sight before he caught them.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny phased into the alley beside the Nasty Burger, and after triple-checking to make sure no one was around, he transformed back into Fenton and was about to head inside when his phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Danny?" Tucker whispered.

"What's up? I don't see you guys in there." Danny said, scanning the place through the glass windows.

"Are you near the windows? Get away from the windows! Lancer's here!" Tucker whispered frantically.

Danny instantly dove into the bushes that ran alongside the restaurant. "What's Lancer doing at a teen hangout spot?" He hissed, crouching as low as he could.

"I don't know, but we're hiding out in the girl's bathroom. If he catches us he's gonna get suspicious and know what's up! He's spooky like that..."

"Sam there too?"

"Yeah. We're gonna climb out the restroom window and meet you in the parking lot. By the way, one of you owes me a Double-Beef burger next Wednesday."

Danny hung up the phone and rolled his eyes, before slinking through the bushes and peering through the leaves. He felt like James Bond, or something. Although he hoped never to be strung up by his wrists over a tank of sharks. Actually, that might have happed to him once. Hmm...

Spotting Tucker and Sam slip behind a rusty pickup truck, he quickly ducked out of his hiding place and joined them. After checking around, they stood up and started walking.

"Well, that was fun." Sam said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah. I felt like James Bond. Hey, did I ever happen to be tied and hung over a tank of sharks by any chance?"

"Not that I can recall. So, how did the little visit go?" Tucker asked.

Danny felt himself smirking. "Pretty pointless. He wouldn't answer any questions that meant life or death, but he answered my rhetorical question. Oh, and apparently the Observer's are mad at me for threatening them. And we 'have to stick together'."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "We've kinda been doing that all the way through. Any particular reason he said that?"

"Nah. But then again, if Clockwork says it, then there must be a good reason. If only I knew what that reason was...Anyway, anything new on the Valerie front?"

"Nothing. And I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing." Tucker said with a sigh. Sam smiled.

"Hey, we'll figure it out. We always do, don't we?"

"Yeah, we sure-Oof!"

As Danny swung around a corner, he ran straight into Valerie herself. Papers flew everywhere and scattered in all directions. Sam and Tucker, thinking these papers might have something interesting on them, quickly volunteered to help pick them up. Val hopped up with an apologetic smile and reached out a hand. Danny accepted it and was pulled to his feet with a little too strong a force. He stumbled into Val-again-and she quickly steadied him. Sam and Tuck handed her back the papers, slightly disappointed and gave a subtle head shake to Danny.

"Sorry, Danny! I'm in a bit of a rush, so I gotta go. See at school tomorrow?" Danny nodded, raising an eyebrow as she took off down the street, laptop bag hanging off one shoulder and papers gathered in her hands.

"Well...that was weird. Weird enough to investigate?" Sam asked.

Danny shook his head. "You didn't find anything suspicious on the papers she dropped, so I think we're ok. C'mon, my mom said you can have supper at my house."

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Valerie sat down on the sidewalk curb to catch her breath before reaching in her bag to pull out a Fenton thermos. Danny would get it back later. She frowned a bit as she studied it. It was a bit dented, but it should be just what she needed.


	25. Trapping the Bait

**Snow dayyy! YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY...ahem. I'm all right.**

**Trapping the Bait**

Valerie sighed, tapping her pencil against her desk, listening to the ticking of the clock that hung over Lancer's desk. School. Bah Humbug. She glanced at her bag, which held the Spectre Deflector and the dented thermos. Everything was ready, but if only the little pirate ghost brat would show up. True, she only had one thermos, but her rocket sled must have one gadget that would work as a holding device. The stupid Phantom stole her last containment cube. Oh well. That thermos was especially reserved.

Turning around, she glanced at her fellow classmates. Dash and Kwan throwing paper airplanes at Mikey, Star and Paulina comparing lipstick colours, same old. Even Lancer was staring at the infamous Amity Trio more than usual.

Something caught her attention at the window. Turning around, she spotted the exact ghost she'd been waiting for-the ghost brat. Or as Danny revealed, his name was Youngblood. No one else seemed to notice the pirate ghost hovering near the windows. Val knew only the young could see him, but come on. There was not one mature person in this class. Beside Lancer, of course. Well, Val never thought she would be thankful for short-attention spans. She raised her hand.

Lancer tore his gaze from the three teens sitting in the back. "Yes, Ms. Gray?"

"May I go to the bathroom?"

"Yes. Be quick, though."

Valerie quickly hopped out of her seat and slipped out the door.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

"Why does he keep staring at us like that?" Tucker whispered.

Danny wearily met Lancer's piercing gaze for a second before ducking his head back down. "He probably thinks we're going to disappear any second."

"You're the halfa, not us."

"Why not say it a little louder, Tuck?"

"Whoops. Sorry, D. Look on the bright side. There haven't been any ghost attacks for a while."

Suddenly, the alarms started going crazy. Thanks to Danny's parents, no building in Amity Park was without an Emergency Ghost Alarm. To be pulled only in a ghost invasion. As the class began to scream and panic, Sam turned around in her seat, eyebrow raised.

"Tuck, you really are a jinx."

Danny groaned. "Any chance I can sneak away?"

Tucker watched Lancer order his students to the auditorium, saying that he would meet them there. He strode quickly down the aisle and grabbed Danny by the arm and practically dragged him out of his seat and into the hall. Turning around, Lancer motioned for Sam and Tucker to walk in front of him.

Shuffling down the hallway, Tucker turned around and glanced at Danny. "I don't think so."

Sam blinked as they entered the dimly lit auditorium. The teachers were gathered on the stage, talking quietly. The only noise was the panicked hum of students whispering. Lancer ushered them to the very front, where the first two rows were completely empty. Danny, Sam and Tucker obediently sat in the plush seats, glumly noting they were in the perfect spot where Lancer could keep an eye on them while he conferred with the teachers.

"Well. Now what?" Sam asked.

Danny shrugged. "What can we do? You heard Lancer. No ghost hunting or Phantom whatsoever. We can't slip out, he'll catch us."

Tucker bit his lip. "I feel sorry for the poor spirit that gets snagged in Val's net."

Danny's widened. "Oh, crap. Your right. What if-oh, wait. She's right there." Sam and Tucker followed Danny's gaze to where Valerie sat, five rows behind them.

"A teacher must have caught her before she could get out." Sam thought aloud.

"Well that's good. But that means the ghost is still out there. Which means-"

"Don't say it Tuck." Danny warned.

The doors flew open, and Maddie and Jack came barrelling to the front of the auditorium.

"Stay calm, kids, we'll catch the nasty ghost!" Maddie shouted.

"GHOST! WHERE?" Jack hollered, whipping the ecto-gun around, his finger accidently hitting the trigger.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Valerie clapped to hands over her mouth as a wave of green ecto-slime shot out from the nozzle of Mr. Fenton's gun and covered poor Sam, Tucker and Danny, who were sitting in the front row. It was a good thing that ghost was easy to catch. She didn't even need to pull the alarm. But in case a battle did break out if Phantom showed up, she needed all her peers in teachers in one place so she wouldn't get caught, and they wouldn't get hurt. Unfortunately, Phantom didn't show up. It would have made things easier. But now she would have to lure him out. Oh well. It would all be over soon.


	26. Ransom Note Er Parrot

**Exams. Blah. **

**Ransom Note-Er, Parrot**

Danny shook the last of the green gunk out of his wet hair and sighed. Why was it always him? He shuffled over and joined Tucker by the courtyard benches. His parents had insisted they be 'decontaminated' and scrubbed clean.He was pretty sure a layer of skin had been scrubbed away in the process. Tucker adjusted his red beret and glanced at him.

"Well, I suppose it wasn't too bad." He commented. "Did your parents find the ghost?"

"No. I'm beginning to think someone pulled the alarm as a joke. Did you see how fast Lancer was on us? Geez." Danny grumbled, slouching down and lay in the soft grass. It was late afternoon, and school had been let out early. But thanks to his dad's slip of the finger, he and his best friends had to stay behind. While Valerie was loose on the streets. Terrific.

"I still don't get it. I mean, Sam and I are the one's at the most risk. You have super healing abilities! If anything, you should be the one to be allowed to ghost hunt."

Danny shrugged. "I may have super healing abilities, but all it takes is one super plasma blast to the chest, or one ghost blade through the stomach. Lancer just doesn't want to take the chance."

Tucker sighed. "Yeah. I wonder what's taking Sam so long?"

As of on cue, Sam sauntered into view, an annoyed expression on her face. "Can we please go now? I need to get out of here before I flip out and go insane."

Danny and Tucker exchanged glances before obediently standing up and following the irate Sam. They had barely made it around the corner before a flying mass of bones crashed into Danny.

"Phantom! I've been looking everywhere for you! She's got Youngblood, and if you don't save him she's going to tear him apart!" Bones babbled hysterically.

Danny reached out and fastened a hand around the slim beak. He slowly got up and glanced around before releasing his hold. "Ok, calm down and be quiet. Now, what's happening?"

"She got Youngblood and-"

Danny held out a hand. "Who's got Youngblood?"

"The crazy girl in red."

Tucker groaned. "Val-Er, the Red Huntress."

Bones nodded so fast it looked like his bony head would fall off. And it did. Sam face-palmed before gingerly picking the bouncing-and still gabbering-head up and fastening it back on its body.

"-if Phantom doesn't meet this Red Huntress in the field behind the warehouse she'll kill him! Well, not kill him, he's already dead, but tear him apart!"

"And she used you as a form of a ransom note." Danny sighed, biting his lower lip and glancing at the slowly darkening sky.

"She said you have to meet her at seven sharp!" Bones flapped his wings nervously.

Tucker snorted. "Well, she does have a nine-o'clock curfew."

Sam punched him in the shoulder. "This is no times for jokes, Tuck." She paused as a flash of blue light caught in the corner of her eye. She glanced at Danny Phantom, who peeked around the corner. "D, someone could have seen that."

"But they didn't. Lancer and my parents are still in the gym, and the Chemical Decontamination Squad left. It's just us." Danny floated a few feet in the air. "Well, are you going to lead me to the Red Huntress or what?"

"D, it could be a trap." Tucker whispered. Danny smiled.

"Relax. I've fallen for loads of traps before. How bad could this one be?"

"I really wish you hadn't said that." Sam mumbled. "Well, let's get going."

Danny shook his head. "No way. If Lancer does find out, he might be lenient if he finds out I didn't drag you guys off. Besides, I need you to make an excuse for my parents. Jazz left on her stupid Leadership Trip a few days ago and can't cover for me."

Sam and Tucker didn't like it, but they nodded anyway. "All right. Just be careful, Danny."

"Calm down guys. What could possibly go wrong?" And with that, he flew off, leaving behind an extremely worried Sam and Tucker.


	27. The Trap is Sprung

**The Trap is Sprung**

Danny flew through the setting sky, following a very agitated parrot. Soon he found himself over the warehouse where Val wanted to meet him. Hmm. It was quiet. Too quiet. It was like in those movies where you know something is going to go wrong but you just don't know what. Danny reached out and grabbed Bones by the tail, pulling him back. Placing a finger against his lips, he motioned for the skeletal bird to stay hidden and floated cautiously down and phased through the rickety roof. Empty. Well, except for the ghost brat thrashing around in a ghost net. Danny swung down and easily sliced through the material. Yanking Youngblood out by his collar, he firmly clapped a hand over his mouth when the young ghost started squeaking.

"Get going!" He hissed. But Youngblood wouldn't move. He was tugging on the hand covering his mouth and gesturing wildly. "I swear if you lick me..." He reared back and tossed Youngblood through the ceiling, shaking his head as he phased through. Danny glanced around before slowly drifting towards the metal doors, frowning. Val was nowhere in sight. Nothing unusual. Huh. Weird. Suddenly something struck him upside the head, and he went sailing through the air and landed on the concrete floor. Head throbbing, he struggled to get up, only to be pinned to the floor.

"I've waited a long time for this Phantom. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner."

Something wrapped around his waist, and a nasty shock vibrated through his body before everything went black.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Sam leaned against the steps of FentonWorks. Tucker tossed a pebble up and down. Both stared at the darkening sky with worry.

"Danny should have been back by now." Tucker whispered.

Sam shook her head. "I knew it was a trap. C'mon Tuck, we gotta go see what's going on."

They both stood up, only to be knocked back down as Youngblood popped out of nowhere and sent them crashing back down on the porch stoop in shock.

"Guys! You gotta help me! Er, not me, but Phantom! The scary red lady has him and she's gonna suck him in the thermos and sell him to the nasty guys in white for research or worse, destroy him!" By this point Youngblood had Tucker by the front of his yellow sweater and was shaking him frantically. Bones circled above, silent for once, but agitated.

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened. "All right. I'm going to get a few supplies, and then you can lead us both to wherever the Red Huntress is holding Danny." Sam was about to barrel through the front door but hesitated. It would look quite suspicious if Danny's parents caught her slipping a bagful of ghost hunting gear out of their lab. Jumping the porch railings, Sam darted around the side and jimmied the lock on the lab window. Slipping in, Sam shoved Blasters, the Fenton Fisher and grabbed two Fenton Jetpacks. Strapping one on quickly, Sam jumped out and slammed the window shut. Tossing the other at Tucker, who caught it by instant reflexes. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Sam turned to Youngblood.

"Let's go. Before it's too late."

**It's short, I know. But this where you get to vote. Would you like Val to find out Danny's secret? Or not? **


	28. Val Messed Up

**Val Messed Up**

The sky was now black. The only light was the moon and the stars that hung in the sky. Sam and Tucker jogged down the dusty, abandoned road that led towards the old warehouse. Ducking along the sides, Sam motioned for Youngblood to skedaddle. "Just leave it to us, and for the love of all that is holy, stay in the flipping Ghost Zone." Youngblood hovered for a moment before following his skeletal sidekick off into the night. Sam and Tucker stayed silent, listening. It was quiet. That's what worried them. Sam spotted a rusty old window off to the side. Tugging Tucker by the sleeve, she jimmied the lock with a bobby-pin from her hair and slipped inside.

Tucker bit his lip as he followed Sam inside. It had occurred to him that he had missed supper, and his parents would be freaking out. Soon they would call Sam's parents, then Danny's. Then a search would begin, and somehow Lancer would find out. He always did.

It was even darker in the warehouse than outside. But the red-clad Valerie stood out clear. She had not noticed them. They crouched behind a stack of metal bins. Sam peered between the cracks and widened her violet eyes. Danny lay on the floor, twitching, as shock waves travelled across his body. A glance at the green belt around his waist said why.

"Tuck! She's got the Spectre Deflector on him! He's already transforming!" Sure enough, two blue rings appeared and slowly started to move, first changing the boots to sneakers and travelled upwards. Val hadn't noticed. She aimed the thermos at Danny and cackled...quite scary actually.

Tucker, thanks to his glasses, noticed the odd thing about the thermos right away. "OMG. Sam! It's-"

Sam jumped the barrels, screaming like her life depended on it. "VAL! DON'T DO IT!"

Now, this where everything happens at once. You know those moments, right? The moments where so many important things happen at the same time that when you look back, you see it in slow motion. Val pushed the button, and the familiar blue light flashed before three pairs of eyes. But the button she had pushed had been the release button. As the dreaded evil laugh echoed across the metal walls, Danny completely transformed, turning him into Fenton. As Val stood with her mouth open in shock and confusion, not able to believe she was just about to destroy one of her good friends, Danny woke up just in time to see Dan Phantom rear back and slug Valerie, sending her sailing and crashing into the wall. She slunk to the floor in a heap, now unconscious. Danny yelled, and Dan went for Danny. Tucker yanked the Blaster out of Sam's backpack and shot blindly. A green blast hit Dan square in the chest and sent him flying, through the roof and into the night sky. As the debris fell and the roof began caving in, Tucker grabbed Valerie while Sam helped Danny and they hightailed it out of there. Tucker lay the still-but still breathing-Val onto the grass and Sam removed the belt from Danny. All three stared at each other, their faces mirroring the disbelief, fear, shock and confusion they all felt.

Noting Valerie was losing a lot of blood; Tucker mindlessly tore off his sleeves and wrapped them around her head, slowing the bleeding. Danny transformed into Fenton, and flew them over to Amity Hospital. Shaking, Tucker closed his eyes and lugged Valerie through the emergency doors and handed her to a nurse before darting out and joining Sam and Danny Phantom out front. Not a word was spoken as they strained to hear the evil laughter, some sign of where Dan was. All was silent. Danny slowly turned his head upward, blinking at the starry night sky. No way was this happening. There was no way Val had seen him transform. There was no WAY Dan had come back. There was no way of knowing where he was, or what he was going to do. Although it was obvious he was hell-bent on revenge, considering the way he nearly knocked Valerie's head off and was about to do the same to him before Tucker blasted him. He could see Sam gingerly holding the dented thermos in one hand, a Blaster in the other, a Fenton Jetpack strapped on. Tucker too had a Blaster and a Jetpack strapped to his back. Each was waiting, waiting for his orders. Danny nodded curtly, and all three hovered into the sky and flew off. But not before Danny spoke the first word since they left the warehouse.

"CLOCKWORK!"


	29. Search and Rescue REVISED

**Search and Rescue REVISED**

If you happened to look out your window, you would see two teens and a ghost flying through the night sky, armed with ecto-guns, rays, and a thermos. If you could see their expressions close enough, you would see that they looked ready for war. But with who? There was nothing out of the ordinary that night. And that's what worried them. Danny hovered, and strained to hear something-ANYTHING-that would reveal the location of his alternate evil self. But the only sound he could hear were the sound of crickets.

"Ok. We have to think. Where would Dan go? I mean, he's first to-do should be to destroy me!"

"Yeah, but in a way, he IS you. You may not have cheated on that test, but when you changed everything back to normal he still existed. And you didn't destroy him the first time. You just sucked him into a thermos. So, maybe, if he destroys you, he's destroying himself." Sam said aloud, eyes squinted in concentration as she tried to word her thoughts properly.

Danny raised an eyebrow, landing on the sidewalk. Sam and Tucker followed. "So, you're saying I have to destroy myself in order to destroy Dan?"

"No! I'm just saying he wasn't planning to destroy at the warehouse. He was trying to do severe bodily harm to prevent you from stopping him a second time around."

Tucker snapped his fingers. "Remember how he sucker-punched Val right into the wall? Well, her alternate future self spent most of her life bent on keeping him away from Amity and eliminating Dan from history. Maybe he's after other's who were enemies in his future."

Danny had to think for second to understand what Tucker was talking about. Time travel always confused him. But it made sense. He did come back to make sure his-their-parents, Sam, Tucker, and Lancer were killed in that Nasty Burger explosion. Maybe he went to finish the job himself! To answer his question, the Fenton Ghost security system started going crazy, and it was three blocks away! Soon panic would be afoot as residents came to discover the source of the ruckus.

Danny ran a hand through his raven hair in panic. "All right. I'll distract Dan. If Sam's theory is correct, then I should be safe from complete destruction. Tucker, Sam, you guys need to turn on the Fenton Ghost Shield and get Lancer in there."

Knowing what Danny was going to say next, Sam cut in. "No way are we staying after we get Lancer over to FentonWorks. We're fighting this together."

"But Dan won't think twice about killing you!"

Sam reached out and grabbed Danny's hand, squeezing gently. "Danny, you heard Clockwork. We have to stick together." Tucker slung an arm over Danny's shoulder with a grin.

"Yeah, dude. We're not leaving you in your time of need."

Danny hesitated before smiling, a true happiness inflating inside him. "You guys are the best." He hugged them tightly.

"Yeah, well, we want that in writing." Tucker joked before the three of them let go and headed straight for FentonWorks.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

"Clockwork!"

The Master of all Time closed his ruby eyes before opening them again and turning around; facing the two Observer's standing before him. "How may I be of assistance?"

"You know very well why we're here Clockwork! Dan was your responsibility, and you let him escape! Who knows what horrors he will release?"

"I do."

"Clockwork, you're leaving the fate in the hands of three teenagers! You MUST interfere."

Clockwork raised an eyebrow. "I thought interfering was against the rules."

Observer Number One was at his wits end. He'd be tearing his hair out if he had any. "I know these children are great fighters and show true spirit, but two of them are only human!"

Clockwork turned to face his trusty mirror. It showed three teens, determined to fight off one of the greatest threats Phantom ever faced, and succeed. They were not willing to let their town down. They were not willing to let HIM down.

"If you trust me, which you have no choice but to, then you will let me do my job. Now, if you'll excuse me." Clockwork gestured towards the wooden doors which flew open, and with grumbles, both Observers's whirled out, leaving Clockwork to watch the story unfold before him.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny phased through the front door, listening to the shouts coming from the lab. "All right, when I whistle, you guys get going. Shoot off a flare or something when you're done, and I'll signal back. Ready?"

Sam and Tucker crouched low, ecto-guns aimed at the lab door just in case. "Ready."

Danny flew down into the lab, where he saw Dan shaking his mother violently and his father unconscious in the corner. Fuelled by the fury that defined Dan so well, Danny let loose with a blast that sent the unprepared Dan through the wall and into the wooden fence one block down. Danny shot after him, but not before letting out a hasty whistle.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Dan groaned, hauling himself up and brushing the splinters from his torn suit. He was a little out of practice, thanks to being in that blasted thermos for so long. If only Clockwork hadn't interfered. Then Lancer, the Fentons and his ex-best friends would be dead, and even if Dan was in the thermos, Danny would follow his footprints. But alas. Clockwork had to come and screw everything up. Now he couldn't destroy Danny without destroying himself. After all, Danny WAS him. Whether he accepted it or not. A whoosh in the distance caused him to light his hands up with ecto-plasma.

"Come on, kid. It's time I took you out of commission." Dan whispered softly, scanning the night sky.

A fist shot out of the darkness and caught him in the jaw, but not before he sent out a blast of his own. Danny grunted but hauled himself back up. He glared at Dan with all the hatred he could muster.

"This is for my parents." Danny snarled before letting out a Ghostly Wail that rocked its way across Amity Park. Dan crashed through the glass window, sending shards flying. Growling, He fired rapidly, knocking his teen self in the chest, stomach, and face. Breathing heavily, Danny pushed himself up and managed to do a sweeping kick, knocking Dan to the ground. He went to kick his face, but Dan grabbed his ankle and swung him into the air. Danny yelped with shock before landing face-first into Dan's fist. Danny shot his leg out and nailed him in the chest. Dan stumbled back and got a blast to the stomach. Danny flew at him with a roundhouse kick, but was grabbed by the front of his jumpsuit and held in the air.

"I may not be able to destroy you, but I CAN beat you within an inch of your life. Your turn to fly kid." And with that, Dan reared his arm back and sent Danny flying through the air.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Sam and Tucker ran downstairs as soon as they heard the whistle, and came upon severe wreckage. Tucker whistled at the size of the hole in the wall before hurrying over and booted up the Ghost Shield. Sam jogged over to Jack, who was unconscious. Maddie was sobbing, bruised and bloody. Tucker quickly checked the start-up time-two minutes-before jogging over and tearing off his last sleeve and tying it around Jack's head. Sam consoled Maddie.

"Hey Mrs. F, it's gonna be all right. I need you to take a deep breath for me." To her surprise, Maddie obeyed. "Tucker's taking care of Mr. F, and then he'll activate the Ghost Shield."

Maddie shivered. "He-he just barged in while we were working. He was so strong, so powerful. I've never seen anything like it! Then the Phantom came in and punched him right through the wall." Now she had Sam by the shoulders, shaking her firmly. "Where's Danny? Where's my son?"

_Battling his extremely evil future alternate self. _"He's fine, Mrs. F. He's at my house. He's playing DOOM on my, uh, new big screen TV and wanted us to stop by and get some things while he set up the tournament mode...yeah. We heard screams and came down to see what was wrong." She glanced at Tucker, who nodded. Why not? It was believable.

Maddie let go of Sam's shoulders before nodding. "Ok. All right. We'll go get him-"

"NO!" Tucker shouted, loud enough to wake Jack, who jolted.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Jack!" Maddie cried, running over and hugging her husband tightly. A beeping noise sounded, and Tucker motioned for Sam to get their stuff and leave-NOW. They quickly jogged up the stairs and out the front door and into the street just as the Fenton Shield activated. Sam shouldered her gun and glanced at Tucker.

"Why'd we have to get out?"

"I installed a human/ghost shield so they couldn't get out." Tucker explained with a smile.

Sam tilted her head. "But how are we supposed to get Lancer inside?"

"Easy. I'll just disarm it long enough for Lancer to get in. The hard part will be getting here."

Sam thought for a moment before pulling out her black cell. "I have an idea. Just play along."

Tucker peered over her shoulder. "You have our English teacher's number?"

"Yup. Get ready. It's ringing."

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Lancer bolted upright when his phone started ringing like crazy. He checked his alarm clock with hazy eyes. Two in the morning? Who on Earth could be calling this early? He picked the phone off its cradle.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Lancer!"

"Samantha? Do you have any idea what time it is? I swear if this is another prank call I'm going to-"

"You gotta get down to FentonWorks ASAP! I don't know where the Fenton's are and Danny's out cold and-"An ear-splitting scream cut Sam off. Lancer clutched the phone tightly.

"Samantha, is that Tucker? What's going on?" He all but shouted.

"We're in trouble, and we don't know what to do! Please Mr. Lancer, you-"She was once again interrupted, but this time Lancer could only the buzz tone. Catapulting out of bed, he dressed hurriedly in sweats and a t-shirt, grabbing his car keys and breaking at least four traffic laws in his rush to make sure his students were safe, and then to give them a piece of his mind.

He rolled up on the curb outside FentonWorks and hopped out. He spotted Sam waving at him frantically. He ran over. "Samantha, where's Tucker and Daniel?"

Sam allowed a tear to leak over. "I don't know! There were here one sec and gone the next!"

Now, Lancer was confused and frightened for the well-being of his students. So you must excuse him for being slightly oblivious to the beeping sounds coming from the bushes five feet away, and the activated ghost/human shield that was humming away. So that was why he didn't expect to be shoved through a hole that just opened up, and finding him trapped. And you must excuse the swearing that occurred when Tucker wandered out of the shrubs and joined Sam's side.

"Now, Mr. Lancer. That is highly inappropriate. This is for your own good. We'll let you out as soon as a matter has been resolved. We'll be seeing you soon!"

Sam and Tucker powered up their jetpacks and flew off, leaving behind a livid English teacher. As soon as they were ample distance away, Sam raised her gun in the air and shot off a pink ecto-blast.

"Part A complete."

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny groaned in pain as he was smashed into some poor soul's Ferrari, which broke in half. Dan appeared in front of him, and shot another ecto-blast. Danny landed with a thud on the pavement. He struggled to stand and was about to fire when he was struck upside the head with...a crowbar?

"C'mon man, that's cheating!"

Dan raised an eyebrow. "I recall you using a thermos in our first round a few months ago. I consider that fighting dirty. So I should be allowed to use a crowbar." He raised his arms for another blow when a blast of pink distracted him. As his head was turned, Danny shot his green ecto-blasts rapidly before shooting one into the sky. Dan shook his burning hand with a scowl, sending one good punch into Danny's nose. Another glance into the distance told him that his annoying ex-friends activated the Fenton Ghost Shield. He could clearly see the green glow off into the distance. He shot out a hand and caught Danny as he tried to pull a one-two. Hmm...No doubt Sam and Tucker would be arriving soon. He could take care of them easy, no question. But they DID have the blasted Fenton thermos. And that had been his downfall the first time. No way was it going to happen a second time. And if he were Danny-which he was-he had also entrapped Lancer within the shield.

A grin split his face as he remembered how he terrorized the Ghost Zone in the alternant future. Ah, how fun that was. Ok, so might not be able to get to his parents or teacher quite yet. And he was saving his friends for last. Oh, how sweet that would be. But why not take out Clockwork first? Sure, he'd be expecting it, but he couldn't do anything about. It was a written rule. And there was no need to worry about a ghost army being assembled. He could split himself into dozens. Plus, if he had, say, Pariah Dark's ring that would just enforce his power. Then he could split into hundreds! Ah yes. The whirring of jetpacks told him Sam and Tucker were almost near. Oh how he wanted to destroy them. But he couldn't risk getting caught in the thermos. If it happened once, it could happen again.

Turning towards the squirming Danny in his grip, he was about to speak when he kicked in a very sensitive place.

"AAAAAAAAGGGH! And you call me using a crowbar cheating, you little twerp!" Dan wheezed. Danny fell to the ground and smirked.

"What can I say? That will always be one of my favourite moves." He raised a hand to send an ecto-blast his way but scowled when Dan disappeared.

"Well...crap."

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Sam gasped as she found Danny on the ground, bleeding. "Danny!"

"Relax; it's just a bloody nose. I'm fine. How're my parents?" He stood up and shook himself out.

"Safe. Lancer too. Ghost Shield's activated. And don't worry about them talking to each other. I locked the lab door and the front door, and made sure the hole in the wall was plugged." Tucker blew on his knuckles and rubbed them against chest with a smirk. Danny laughed.

"Nice one Tuck." He glanced around the dark town of Amity before sighing. "Well, we better get going. Who knows where he went this time?"

**I realized a few things while I read ****Hornswaggler** **review, and that was they were right. I came up with a few ideas and added them in. I hope it makes it a bit better and more believable. Thanks again for reviewing!**


	30. The Ghost Army: Phase 1

**Since I don't quite know where the ring and crown ended up after Reign Storm, I figure the pact the Fright Knight and Vlad made was where to put them. I know it's been a while, but I got viciously attacked...by writers block! But I conquered it! And I think I did ok. Once again, I own nothing! Except the plot line.**

**The Ghost Army: Phase 1**

Dan raised his white-gloved hand palm-side up and summoned up the Ghost Portal. The last person to have the ring and crown was Vlad Masters. Transporting himself to Wisconsin, he blinked for a moment as he stared at the construction equipment and half-finished mansion. "Geez. I wonder what else went on in my absence." Well, if he wanted some answers, might as well go to the source.

"Oh, Plasmius! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Valerie moaned. Her head was killing her. What happened? Blinking the blur from her eyes, she stared at the nurse examining her. "Well, hello there sleepy head."

"What's going on?"

"Some young man with a silly red hat carried you in. But he left the second he handed you to me. You lost a lot of blood, but after some rest you should be fine." She placed a glass of water on the nightstand beside Valerie and smiled. "I'll be back to check on you soon. Just push the red button if you need me."

Valerie bit her lip as she went through the recent events. Danny was the Phantom? How was that possible? How come he didn't trust her enough to tell her? Sure, she wanted to kill him, but she never would've if she found out-

Suddenly realization hit her. Phantom had destroyed her life, and Danny was the Phantom. Of course he never would have told her about his alter-ego, as Sam and Tucker knew. To him, Valerie would be just as mad at him as she was at Phantom. But now Danny, Sam and Tucker seemed to be scared of the ghost she had let out of the thermos. He looked a lot like Danny, now that she thought about it. Just a bit older...and much more evil. There was no doubt in her mind that the infamous Amity Trio went after the threatening ghost themselves. It was just like them. Too proud to accept help, and determined to do what they thought was right.

Well, not this time. It was her fault there was a dangerous ghost out there. It was her fault two teens and a halfa was going to get killed protecting people like her. Grunting, she hauled herself out of the cot and grabbed her backpack that held her gear.

This time, she would be on their side. She would prove she was trustworthy, and she would make up for the pain she had caused.

Whether they liked it or not.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Vlad could not believe his awful luck. He basically just got out of the hospital, and now this weird ghost who looked so much like Daniel it was scary. But not as scary as being pinned against the wall with ecto-energy aimed at your face. The worst part was that he couldn't even go ghost. He was so weak from the battle with the Gray girl.

Irony, you are indeed a cruel mistress.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Pariah's crown and ring. Where is it?" Dan growled, his red eyes flashing. Vlad scowled. But he valued his life more than the Fright Knights.

"I made a pact with the Fright Night a while ago. In exchange, I had to hand over the ring and crown."

Dan grinned menacingly. "Ah, yes. The Fright Knight. This is indeed interesting. But to ensure YOU don't go anywhere..." Pointing his finger at the billionaire, he trapped Vlad within a soundless and escape-proof shield of ecto-plasma. Laughing, he phased through the finished ceiling and summoned another Ghost Portal.

"You're about to meet your new master, Fright Knight."

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny frowned thoughtfully. Panicking, although appropriate, was not acceptable in a crisis like this. They needed to be calm, and think things through. His parents and teacher were safe, and he had called and given Jazz a heads up. "In the future, Dan wants to destroy Amity Park, and the Ghost Zone. But since we stopped him, I'm assuming he wants to go farther."

"Just to prove a point." Tucker chimed in.

"Alright. In order to do that, he would need an army. But there's no way he'll get anyone from the Ghost Zone. He practically destroyed them. Except for-"

"The Fright Knight and Vlad!" Sam exclaimed. "Dan is controlling, and would want the army to be HIMSELF. In order to make so many doubles, he would need the greatest power that exists!"

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Pariah's crown and ring! The pact Vlad and the Fright Knight made must have been where the crown and ring would go!"

Sam slung the Blaster over shoulder determinedly. "We need to go see Vlad."

The three shot off into the air and sped off towards Wisconsin.

Too bad Dan was one step ahead of them.

**Short, I know. But I'm hoping it'll get longer.**


	31. The Ghost Army: Phase 2

**The Ghost Army: Phase 2**

Danny, Sam and Tucker landed on the soft dirt, regarding the half-finished mansion before them. "You think Vlad's here?" Tucker asked.

"Well, it's the first place I can think of. Come on." They walked through the front door and picked their way over wood planks, metal screws, beams and torn-up carpet. Sam winced when they came upon the living room.

"Looks like Dan beat us to it." She walked over to the green bubble like dome and flicked it with her thumb and index finger. "How are we supposed to break this open?"

Vlad was slumped at the base of the bubble, eyes closed. Sam suddenly had a thought. "Er, guys? How much oxygen do you think is in there?"

Danny swore before trying to bust it open with ecto-blasts and kicks. He couldn't phase through it or turn it intangible. He took a deep breath and motioned for Sam and Tucker to stand back. They obeyed. Tucker turned to Sam with doubt in his eyes. "That thing is basically ghost proof, and human proof. Does Danny really think his Ghostly Wail will make an impression?"

Sam covered her ears. "Well, he gained that power ten years earlier than Dark Dan. It's worth a shot."

The mansion rocked on its foundation as Danny released the Ghostly Wail. Sam and Tucker watched in amazement as cracks began appearing in the bubble before shattering. Vlad gasped for breath as he hit the floor, as did Danny. Sam removed her hands from her ears and walked up to the gasping Vlad. "Well, that's twice we saved your life. Well, once by me and Tucker, and once by Danny. Anyway, I have the perfect way you can repay us. Where is Dan headed?"

Vlad held his pounding head in his hands. "Off to free the Fright Knight so he will hand over the crown and they key."

"And you TOLD him where to find them?" Sam cried.

Vlad glared at her. "He was going to kill me!"

Sam pointed to the shattered pieces of the bubble-shield. "What do you call suffocating in ghost/human proof prison?"

Vlad stood up angrily. "I would have fought him off if I was strong enough to transform! He would've never been able to trap me if I was my ghost half."

_If only you knew. _Danny thought tiredly. Shaking his head, he floated up and Sam and Tucker followed his lead. "If I were you, I'd get out of here. Dan won't be too happy if he finds out you escaped. Later." He phased himself and his friends through the finished ceiling and flew off, back towards Amity Park. Vlad watched them leave, and after a moment of thinking left his mansion and went to find a safe place, away from the incoming danger.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Dan stood before the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, but his red eyes were locked on the pumpkin and the sword lodged in it. He pulled the sword free, and waited in mild annoyance as a flash of green light exploded from the pumpkin and the Fright Knight himself appeared.

The Fright Knight glanced around in confusion, but before the first thought could cross his brain he was knocked to the ground, a glowing green hand held in front of him. A calm, but nerve-shaking, voice spoke to him.

"Give me the Crown of Rage and the key."

"I will never betray my master!" Pressure fell on his chest, and the hand lowered.

"Ah, yes. I have forgotten. In this world, you serve the King, but in MY future, you serve me. And that servitude starts NOW."

Now, the Fright Knight's power was to instil people's greatest fears in their hearts, send them to the darkest places they never knew existed. The only person the Fright Knight feared was Pariah Dark. But this ghost, the one about to blow his head off and stuff it in a wood chipper, was beyond evil. The Fright Knight feared him more than he ever feared Pariah Dark. Because of this, he handed over the key and crown, and watched as his fate was sealed.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny had opened the Zone just in time to hear the cackle he dreaded, and after diving in, his fears were confirmed. Watching the red and green blaze, Danny knew Pariah would hand his ring over without a fight. A fight that Danny had no doubt he would lose. When Dan got the ring, it was all over for the Ghost Zone and the world as he knew it.

Danny, Sam and Tucker watched the ghosts panicked and scattered about. They knew what the red symbolized, but not the green. That's the part that confused them.

Danny stared at the open Fenton portal behind him. At the exact same time, they screamed the exact same thing.

"GET OUT OF HERE!"

That warning was heard all over the Ghost Zone. The trio could only hope every ghost got out in time.


	32. Evacuation, Fights and a Red Recruit

**Evacuation, Fights and a Red Recruit**

Youngblood watched nervously as Phantom shoved a protesting Ghost Writer out of the Zone.

"You can get new books at the library! You can steal them from the bookstore for all I care...which I probably will later. But now you gotta get out of here!" With one last grunt, Danny managed to shove the Writer through. Spotting Clockwork duck into the mass crowd, he waved a fist in the air. "Yeah, you better run! I'll deal with you later!" He groaned and ran a hand through his white hair. How many ghosts have they shoved through? He lost track after Spectra and Dora.

Sam turned and glared at Tucker. "You just had to put up a Ghost/Human shield, didn't you?"

"Excuse me for trying to protect my teacher and best friend's parents! I disarmed for long enough for us to get through, anyway!" Tucker snapped back.

"Yeah, after Danny tossed his parents and Lancer in the attic! There goes his secret..."

"How was I supposed to know a bazillion ghosts would need to use the Fenton portal? Besides, Dan's in here. The portal won't be needed for at least ten more minutes. And Danny was smart enough to lock the attic door and take away the ghost weapons. I didn't know Mr. F could swear like that..."

"Guys focus!" Danny yelled. Sam and Tucker scowled before silently helping the ghosts out of the portal. Sam looked ticked, Tucker looked annoyed, and Danny looked ready to kill them. They had been bickering for the past two minutes, and Danny was reaching the end of his rope. Most of the ghosts have been evacuated, with pretty good timing with only one portal open. The only ghosts left were Skulker, Technus, Ember, Kitty and the Box Ghost and Youngblood. All of them were staring at the fighting trio.

Sam glanced up at the blinding green blast. "This is all Valerie's fault."

"Yeah, if she wasn't so obsessed with destroying ghosts this never would've happened."

Danny scowled. "How can you guys bash Val when she's in the hospital with a concussion?"

Tucker scowled. "You're right. She must have gotten the thermos when she ran into you that day outside the Nasty Burger. So when you went to visit the Master of Time, you knocked Dan's thermos into your bag!"

"So now it's my fault?"

"Yeah. If you weren't so concerned about your girlfriend Val, we could've been blunt and just ambushed her!"

Sam would have stomped her foot if they were on ground. "Val is NOT Danny's girlfriend!"

Tucker sneered. "Right. You guys are the lovebirds, I for-aaaagggh!"

Youngblood drew back as Sam tackled Tucker and throttled him. Danny swore and tried to pry them apart, getting a fist in the chin in his attempt. His patience broke, and Danny shoved Sam off and went after Tucker. The young pirate's fearful gaze travelled from the green and red blasts and back to the fighting teens. "STOP IT!"

Sam's fist froze, inches away from Tucker's nose. Danny's hand was frozen with Tucker's ankle twisted. Tucker had one fistful of Sam's hair and the other had latched itself on Danny's face. Youngblood waved his arms in the air. "This is stupid! You guys are supposed to be the hero's! But you're fighting each other instead of working out a plan!" By this time Skulker, Ember, and Kitty had Sam, Tucker and Danny away from each other. The silence stretched out until Danny finally spoke.

"All right. You guys get out of here while we think of something."

Ember slowly released her hold. "You are going to behave, right?"

"Yeah."

The last remaining ghosts flew out of the Zone, leaving only the two teens and a halfa, and the two fighting ghosts in the distance. Sam closed her eyes. "Guys, what are we doing? This is pointless, fighting with each other."

"Now I know why Clockwork said we should stick together." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Tuck, I am so sorry."

Sam nodded, and surprised the techgeek by throwing her arms around him. "Me too, Tuck."

Tucker smiled. "And I am sorry about the cracks I made about Val and the lovebird thing. Now, we need a plan."

All three jumped as a smoking ghost crashed at their feet. Tucker face palmed and Sam winced. Danny sighed.

"Why didn't Dan destroy him?" Sam asked, picking the moaning Pariah up by the arms and dragging him towards the portal.

"Because. He wants him to see the downfall of what he started." Danny said grimly. Sam had managed to get the ex-King of All Ghosts through the portal when Tucker screamed. A green projectile was heading towards them. It was the fact it was laughing demonically that sent Danny into a slight panic.

"GET IN AND CLOSE THE PORTAL!"

Diving through, Danny and Sam slid across the floor of Fenton's lab while Tucker frantically pushed the buttons. The door shut with a metal squeak, and he stumbled back when dents began appearing rapidly. Dan was punching his way through. Sam glanced up in the direction of the attic.

"Danny!" She hissed. Danny turned to Tucker.

"Is there any way you can create a ghost shield specifically for the attic?"

Tucker nodded and hurried off to complete his task. Danny and Sam grabbed as much Fenton ghost gear as possible and bolted outside, where a bazillion ghosts were milling about, and about dozens of people screaming and shouting. Danny face palmed and Tucker came racing out.

"The shield is up, and I think Lancer threw a shoe at me. They will be safe as long as Dan doesn't try to break through. So...what's the plan?"

Danny glanced at the ghosts surrounding the skies. "Er, Skulker?"

The Great Hunter of the Ghost Zone hovered in front of them. "What is it, whelp?" Danny noted the nickname lacked the usual hostility.

"Well, I kinda need an army. So I was wondering...can you guys be our army?"

Skulker raised an eyebrow. "Only because I have a debt to repay and our home has already been taken over."

Danny grinned. "Sweet. All right, we-"

"Yo, Fenton!"

Danny widened his eyes as he whirled around and spotted Valerie leaning against the porch railings, her backpack hanging off her shoulder. "So, where do I sign up?"

"No where! You have a concussion, are you insane?"

Valerie tilted her head to the side. "I can't believe I never figured it out before. It was so obvious!"

"Yeah. He wasn't very creative when choosing his alter-ego name." Tucker smirked.

Valerie relaxed a bit. At least they weren't openly hostile towards her. Although she was nervous being surrounded by many of the ghosts she tried to eliminate. Danny must have noticed, because he smiled.

"Temporary truce. But I still don't want you fighting."

"Your letting Sam and Tucker fight!"

Danny tugged at his hair. "They don't have a concussion!"

"Great One, I think it would be wise to let the Red Huntress fight with us. She is a great fighter." Frostbite said, looking at Danny.

"Oh sure. She's a great fighter. We're the servants. Don't you love the world?" Sam muttered.

Danny sighed. "Fine, all right. You can fight." A roar echoed from inside FentonWorks. Danny was mildly relieved to see that most of the residents of Amity Park had taken off, most likely to the safe-house his parents established in case of a ghost invasion. His parents would be proud to see it came in handy. Well, if they weren't trapped in the attic. With his English teacher. Talk about major damage control...

Shaking his head, Danny put on his game face. Sam and Tucker flanked him, expressions serious and determined. "All right. You guys are in charge of holding back Dan's doubles." He pointed a finger at Skulker. "Val, I need you to distract Dan while Sam and Tucker get set up in the aerial attack positions. They'll whistle, and that's when I need you to knock the crown off his head. Got it, Val?" The Red Huntress nodded. "I want you to bring the crown up to Sam. I'll distract Dan while you do that. I'll get the ring from him. Sam, I'm going to fly the ring up to you, and you taunt him until he flies to get you. Tucker and I will jump out and suck the SOB in the damn thermos."

Val pointed to thermos besides Danny's feet. "The dented one?"

Danny frowned. "Yeah, we might want to use a new one. All right, Sam and Tuck, get in position."

Sam and Tucker stood rim-rod straight and saluted Danny. "Yes Sir Danny sir!" They took off for the roofs of nearby buildings. Danny smirked.

Val turned her gear on and watched Danny address the ghost crowd. "You guys ready?"

"Yes sir!"

Danny grinned. "All right. But watch out for his ghostly wail. I don't know how much energy he'll have with all those doubles, but duck and cover when he takes that first breath."

There was an explosion, and hundreds of Dan's came pouring out of the windows and doorways. Danny narrowed his glowing green eyes when the original Dark Dan floated high above him, red eyes glinting with malice.

"All right, kid. Time for round two."

**Well, the benefits of having three snow days in a row are the updates I can make. Review please, and tell me what you think!**


	33. Battle Scene: Dan vs Pariah

**Battle Scene: Dan vs. Pariah**

Dan slipped the key into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep and didn't even flinch as a red explosion signalled the release of Pariah Dark. Calmly placing the crown on his head, Dan waited for Pariah to emerge.

"I believe the ring now belongs to me. Hand it over before I eliminate from the afterlife."

Pariah laughed in disbelief. "You free me and expect me to hand over MY ring? I don't think so, child. In fact, I think you should hand the crown over."

Dan sighed. "Very well. I was on a schedule, but I believe I can be late for my little date with destiny."

Pariah slammed backwards into the wall as Dan released a green blast. "Fright Knight, retrieve my possessions!"

The Fright Knight stood aside Dan. "I am no longer your servant. I now serve Dark Dan; the fearless one."

"Why, you traitorous little-"Pariah was struck again with green energy.

"Master, would like me to assist you?"

"No, Fright Knight. I would like to do this myself." Dan narrowed his red eyes and shot another blast. Pariah managed to dodge it in time and retaliate. His red ecto-energy hit Dan in the chest and sent him to his knees. Grunting, Dan punched the ground with his fist, sending a large crack shooting along the base of the palace floor. Pariah shouted as his foot fell in, and green ropes stretched out and wrapped tightly around him. Dan stood up and swung his fist across Pariah's face. He went for a one-two shot but was blasted back as Pariah released a powerful red energy wave.

"You are powerful. But I have experience. I will not be beat by a child!"

Dan smirked. "But you already have." He grunted again as he was held back by red spikes, but a green shield held them off. A red ecto-ball broke his shield and smashed right into his face. Swearing, he raised a glowing fist and punched the wall. The chandelier hanging above fell and collapsed on top of Pariah.

Pariah pushed himself up and was about to attack when green bubbles began bombarding him from all directions. Channelling as much of his energy as he could, he slammed a red wall into Dan, who went careening back into the oak doors. Dan snarled before taking a deep breath.

"Are you tired, child?" Pariah taunted, ready to strike another blow.

Dan let out his Ghostly Wail, sending Pariah crashing backwards into his throne and getting pinned down. Dan stormed up beside him and yanked the ring off and slipped it on his own hand.

"Oh yeah, baby. Give me the power!" Dan swung his head back as energy and power coursed through him, his body glowing a vibrant red. Pariah stood up and roared.

"No, it's not possible! I have only been beaten once before!"

Dan laughed. "Pops, I AM that boy that beat you once before!"

Not waiting for a response, Dan grabbed the ex-King by his cape and grinned, baring his fangs. "Get ready to see what a real dictator can do!" A green explosion lit up the chamber, sending Pariah hurtling through the Ghost Zone.

The Fright Knight regarded his master. "What is our next move, sir?"

Dan chuckled darkly. "We are off to Amity Park. I have some damage control to do for my rep. But first, I have a Zone to destroy."

His evil cackle rang out for all to hear as he charged through the Ghost Zone at the speed of light, destroying everything in his sights. After he was satisfied, he headed for the Fenton Portal, ready to make his mark on his old future, his servant right behind him.

This time, it would be Danny that got sucked in the thermos.

**I decided to split it up. Danny's evacuation and Dan's battle. Just made it easier for me.**


	34. Round Two

**Round Two**

Sam and Tucker jumped from their positions on the roof as the FentonWorks doors and windows exploded off their hinges and bolts as hundreds of Dan's doubles came pouring out. The original hovered above them all, the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire glowing brightly. Sam pulled Tucker behind a billboard and took a deep breath. "Ok, when Val brings the crown up, I'll cover you. Ditto for when Danny brings the ring up. When that happens, Dan is gonna freak. We'll need to get him up here so he doesn't break through the shield in the attic and go after Lancer and the Fentons."

"But how do we know Dan won't go after them first?"

Sam ducked as an ecto-blast shot through the billboard and burned a hole through it. "Dang that was close. Dan is more interested in destroying what Pariah started, and that means not only his home, but the spirits that inhabit it. He is positive he will win, so the Fentons and Lancer will be last on his list."

"All right. Are all residents in the area gone?" Tucker asked, strapping the jetpack tighter around his torso and removing the Blasters.

"Yeah. They all booked it after the first wave of ghosts came waving out." Sam loaded her Blaster up and took a deep breath. "So, who's sucking Dark Dan in the thermos?" She held the dent-free silver cylinder up. Tucker shrugged.

"I think I will. Danny should be on standby. There's no way that jerk is going back in his prison without one hell of a struggle."

"True. Let's get in out positions." Shouldering their weapons, Sam and Tucker moved out.

You hear about total chaos. Where the sky is dark even though dawn should be breaking. The only sounds are weapons firing and you're blinded by the blasts and the lights coming off them. Danny thought he saw chaos before. He thought he saw it when Pariah woke. He thought he saw it when he battled Dark Dan the first time around. But this was not chaos. This was the apocalypse. Only Danny would make sure this apocalypse had a happy ending. Even if he had to give his life to make it happen.

The second Dan released his doubles, all hell broke loose. Plasma blasts, curses, and screams rang out and Danny found himself in the middle, staring into Dan's eyes with anger and determination. The first thing Danny did was use his sticky plasma to render the Fright Knight immobile. The last thing he needed was him holding things up. Then he sped up in the air and went to tackle Dan out of the sky but was shot back by a green ecto-disk. Landing in the concrete and leaving on heck of a crater. The Fright Knight struggled to break free before turning towards his master.

"Master, if you-"Dan held up a hand, staring at the pained Danny.

"Sorry. But at the moment, it's every man for themselves."

Danny moaned and hauled himself in time to see Dan hurtling towards him. Diving out of the way, Danny grabbed Dan's ghost tail and swung him into the side of his building. Dan ducked a punch and nailed Danny right in the gut. Danny groaned and doubled over, but managed to use his Ghostly Wail to send Dan flying through the windows of the house two doors down. He avoided a green energy-blast and it sent slicing through a billboard on one of the rooftops. Narrowing his eyes, Danny cracked his knuckles and shot after Dan.

Valerie ducked and wobbled on her rocket sled as plasma blasts came from every direction. In all the chaos she lost track of Danny and Dan and was searching desperately for them. Ghosts were sailing in every direction, and she winced when the armoured ghost took a header into the cement below. She blasted his attacker with her ecto-ray and yelped in shock when a double grabbed her ankle and pulled her off her sled and went flying towards the ground at break-neck speed. She heard the sound of a guitar note and found herself free-falling. Slapping the button on her watch, she landed on her rocket sled and glanced up to see Ember slamming Double Dan with pink fists. Diving downwards, Valerie spotted Danny. Unfortunately, he was slammed from a building and knocked right into her. With twin groans as they crashed into a clump of bushes, Valerie managed to blindly shoot and hit Dan square in the chest.

Dan stumbled backwards a few feet and growled, floating downwards and picking Val up by the front of her jumpsuit. "It's been a while, Valerie."

Val fumbled for her ray gun and winced in pain when he easily shot it out of her hand. "How do you know my name?"

Dan did not get to answer. Danny flew upwards and swung his foot across Dan's jaw. "Ok, I attack his front, you attack his back."

"But he'll just produce more doubles!"

"Then keep your eye on the originals."

"But these ghosts can't keep them all off us!" Valerie ducked as a double sailed over her head and landed with a groan in the tree behind them. Youngblood whooped loudly before going over to assist PoinDexter.

Danny chuckled. "That was a good hit. Anyway, why do you think Sam and Tucker are in aerial positions?"

Valerie glanced up. Sure enough, whenever Dan was facing away from them, they would lean over the edge and blast the doubles before ducking back. They had pretty good aim. Dan hauled himself off the ground and went for them. Danny nodded at Val and they split up. Dan reached an arm out and caught Danny by the throat. Sure enough, a double appeared to take care of Val. Taking a quick breath, Val ignored the double and sped towards Dan's back, raising her laser-ring and fired one clean shot. As the pink shot knocked the crown off his head, Sam knocked the double back as it was about to club Valerie in the head.

Swearing loudly, Dan went to make for the crown but Danny sank his teeth into Dan's hand, causing him to drop the teen halfa. Danny tackled Dan to the ground as Val scooped the crown up. The doubles were beginning to fade out due to lack of power, but not quick enough. Dozens started to descend upon the Red Huntress as she sped upwards to where Sam and Tucker were.

_They got your back. They got your back._ She repeated in her head as she got closer to the roof. Sam and Tucker took out as many doubles as they could, but one managed to get a hold of her rocket sled. Val yelped and grabbed hold of the roof ledge as her rocket sled crashed to the ground. The small explosion told her pushing the call-back button on her watch wouldn't do much. She felt herself being pulled up and she collapsed on the hard rooftop.

"You ok?" Tucker asked, tossing the crown to Sam, who easily caught it with one hand as the other was busy blasting Dan Doubles back. Valerie nodded.

"I'm good. But I have no idea how I am supposed to get down."

Tucker removed his jetpack and handed it to Val. She was about to protest, but he glared at her. Now was not a time to argue. Slipping it on, Val flew back down and Sam took out the last double that followed Val to them.

Dan yelled in rage as he watched his wonderful doubles start to fizzle out. Slamming a fist into Danny's face, he struggled to find the crown Valerie had stolen. Danny had a firm hold on his leg. Nose bleeding, he reached up and grabbed hold of the hand holding the ring. Dan refused to let up, slamming kicks and punched to Danny's face, chest and stomach. Danny could feel the world going blurry, his brain going fuzzy. With a grunt, he managed to fling Dan over his shoulder. Dan's arm wrapped itself around his neck and Danny gasped for air. Val nailed Dan's hand and cried out in pain when he shot an ecto-blast to her shoulder. She crashed off balance and groaned. Her arm was on fire, and her head was pounding severely. Danny scowled and knocked his shoulder into Dan's face, locking onto his hand and snagging the ring in the process. Turning to Val, he pulled her up. "Get out of here."

"What? Danny, no, I'm-"

"You're in no condition to fight. Get out of here. NOW!" Valerie flinched, but obediently flew off, holding her arm and biting her lip nervously. The tone in Danny's voice scared her more than anything. The doubles disappeared completely, and Val noted with mild worry that nearly every ghost in Danny's army was beaten and bloodied. The ones that were only bruised were about to assist Danny when he held them back.

"No. Help the ones who are in need of medical help. I got this."

Dan snarled. "No. I will not be beaten again." He did a right-hook and Danny sprawled backwards. Clutching the ring tightly in his fist, he jetted off towards the rooftops. He hoped Sam and Tucker were ready.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Sam winced as Dan knocked Danny around like a piñata. "I feel so helpless." The crown was held tightly in her hand. Tucker's voice came across the Fenton Phones. He was in position one alley across. She had lent him her jetpack after he gave his to Valerie.

"I know Sam. But what I don't get is why Danny doesn't just use the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire."

"He doesn't believe he can handle the power. And he wants to have the satisfaction of pummelling Dan with his own powers."

"Good point. All right, they'll be up soon. Are you ready?"

Sam took a deep breath. "Yeah. Be careful, Tucker."

"You too Sam." The Fenton Phones went silent.

Sam watched as Danny managed to get out of Dan's hold and rocket up towards the roof. As Dan grabbed his legs, he threw the green paranormal object in the air and Sam dove out and caught it. Danny collapsed on the roof. Nodding at Sam, he bolted for the alley and disappeared from sight just as Dan emerged. Sam grinned at him.

"Did you miss me?" She waved his desired objects in the air and danced away from a plasma blast. "Yeah, I thought so. Too bad I didn't miss you."

Dan growled. "You are treading on thin ice, Samantha." He let a curse as Sam blasted him back a few feet, singing his jumpsuit.

"NOBODY calls me Samantha." She stepped back as Dan advanced. Every time he took a breath, she cut him off with a blast. Sam let out a shriek as he knocked the Blaster from her hand and got ready for his Ghostly Wail.

_Danny and Tucker, where ARE you?_

The green plasma blast sealed itself over Dan's mouth as Tucker and Danny flew from the alley. Tucker raised the thermos and pushed the button as Danny bombarded Dan with green disks. Sam retrieved her blaster and helped in holding Dark Dan down. The green plasma was torn off his face as he raced to the mouth of the thermos. Dan screamed loudly, and released a Ghostly Wail in the process.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Valerie twisted her hands together when she heard the ghostly scream or whatever it was roll across Amity. She could hear the frantic screams of Danny, Sam and Tucker, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Her arm was busted, and every able-bodied ghost had taken the injured ones to the abominable snow-ghost dude. The stragglers included Youngblood, who had a black eye, Skulker, who's armour was currently being repaired by Technus. The screaming stop, and Val felt pure fear and terror run through her. Because if the Amity Trio couldn't take that SOB down, she didn't know who could.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Sam flew backwards and managed to latch herself onto to Tucker. Danny held on to Tucker's arm and tried sealing Dan's mouth again. Dan's head was jerking around so much he couldn't get a clear shot. The roof began to crack beneath them and Tucker struggled to keep a hold on the thermos.

"Danny, he isn't going in!" Tucker shouted, watching as Dan dug his nails into the cement and struggled to hold on.

"Thanks Captain Obvious!" Sam and Danny snapped. Danny shot the blasts and removed Dan's hands from the cement, but missed his mouth again. Swearing, Danny released his hold on Tucker and shoved his way towards Dark Dan. Pinning Dan's head to the ground, he managed to seal his mouth once again.

"Danny, you idiot!" Sam hollered.

Danny winced as he found himself swept into the sucking vortex. Oh yeah. Transforming into Fenton, Danny dropped onto the cracking cement and watched as Dan get pulled into the thermos.

"NO! NO! NOOOOO!" Dan screamed in rage as he was completely sucked into the thermos. Tucker slapped the lid on and watched in dismay as the roof started crumbling and caving in. He held the thermos tightly to him as it started thrashing and jumping.

Danny transformed and grabbed Sam by the waist and Tucker by the arm, as he was too busy trying to keep Dan contained to turn on his jetpack.

Sam smirked. "Well. That was easy."

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Valerie clapped two hands to her mouth as the building Sam, Tucker, Danny and the Dan were fighting on caved in. The noise caused the ghosts to limp out of the medical tent, and Frostbite, as Val learned what his name was, to stand and watch in panic. Val closed her eyes.

_Please let them be ok. Please let them be ok._

She felt a tugging on her arm and opened her eyes to Youngblood pointing eagerly to the sky above the now-caved in building. Valerie followed his finger and cheered along with the others as Danny Phantom hovered above, holding Sam and Tucker tightly in his grip. With a sigh of relief, Val sunk down into a sitting position and grinned.

They never let her down.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny let out a sigh of relief as Dan stopped thrashing about. He flew his friends down and grinned at his army. "Thanks you guys. You were awesome. Is everyone ok?"

"Yes Great One. All ghosts are in the process of healing." Frostbite assured him. "We give you and your servants our greatest thanks. You have once again defeated the greatest of evil."

Val frowned in confusion. "Servants?" She whispered to Sam, who rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. But it's all good. He means well. Hey, Tuck. You wanna get the ghost portal started up again?"

"Sure." Tucker bounded inside the damaged FentonWorks building. Danny scratched his head as he regarded the wreck.

"Dang. Looks like we got some serious explaining to do to my parents and Lancer."

Valerie gasped. "You mean Lancer knew?"

Danny snorted. "Not by choice, I can tell you that. By the way, you cannot tell anyone I'm the Phantom, got it? There is no way I'm telling my parents until this is forgotten. But what am I going to do about Lancer?"

Sam shrugged. "We'll think of something. You're lucky Val. All you have to do is tell your dad you fell off your bike or something."

"You didn't tell Lancer I was the Red Huntress?"

"Nope. A secret for a secret. Although we knew long before this...don't ask how." Tucker came back outside and addressed the ghost crowd before them.

"You guys can go back now. You have a few repairs to do, though." He spotted Pariah Dark emerge from the tent. "Danny, what are you going to do with the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire?"

Danny thought for a moment. There was no doubt in his mind that Pariah's castle was in shambles. Besides, he was so bruised and beaten he was in no condition for another take-over scheme. "Hey, Frostbite? Can you take care of these until the Ghost Zone is close to normal?"

"Of course, Great One." Danny handed the items over and sighed. Then he had a thought. "Hey, what happened to the Fright Knight after I immobilized him?"

Sam smirked. "I knocked him off the roof and into the alley. I think he's trapped in the dumpster. I didn't want to risk Dan going back and releasing him." Danny snickered.

"Hey, can one of you guys get the Fright Knight out and bring him into the Zone? Thanks." Danny scratched his head. Was he forgetting anything? Oh, yes. Yes he was. As the ghosts straggled back into the Zone, Danny tapped his foot and waited for the Master of Time to appear.

"You did a very good job. You three should be proud of yourselves."

Danny jumped and whirled around to find Clockwork smiling at him. Danny scowled. "I am so ticked at you. Would it have KILLED you to tell us Dan would be back?"

"You know the answer to that."

Sam groaned. "Do you have any idea how much damage control we have to do? Lancer is gonna kill us! After he tells our parents!"

Tucker thought for a moment before a grin split his face. "Actually...I think I have a way we can avoid that bullet." Handing the thermos to Clockwork, he frowned. "PLEASE lock this guy in a safe or something, will you?"

Clockwork smirked. "I think everything will be fine now. Congratulations." The three watched as the last ghost flew back into the Zone. Valerie rushed up to them and hugged them tightly.

"I am so glad you guys are ok."

Sam stiffened before relaxing. "Ah, it was nothing. But you should be getting back home. Your dad's probably freaking. But first, go to the hospital."

Valerie nodded. "Sure. Well, I guess I'll see you guys later."

As she shuffled, she heard Sam, Danny and Tucker call out to her.

"Welcome to Team Phantom!"

**Whew! So, what do you think? Review please!**


	35. A Discovered Loophole and Damage Control

**A Discovered Loophole and Damage Control**

Danny transformed into Fenton and watched Valerie walk off. All the ghosts were gone, and Tucker closed the portal. Sam had put all the weapons back in their rightful place and joined her friends outside as they surveyed the damage.

"Ok. Story time. What are we telling my parents?" Danny asked.

"Well, most of Amity Park is in the safe house. Tucker hacked into all the security cameras in the surrounding area and deleted footage of us. So we're safe. But someone's going to say they didn't see us in the safe house..."

Danny thought about this idea. "So, we are going with the ghost invasion story?"

"Sure. Phantom freaked when the ghosts came through the Fenton portal and put the Fentons in the attic for safety, turned the shield on and sent Danny and his two best friends to...an old warehouse out of harm's way. There are a ton of warehouses around here, so we couldn't possible know which one Phantom took us to."

"But this is after we go to Danny's house." Sam reminded Tucker.

"Oh yeah. Lancer just happened to be walking by when Phantom spotted him and took him to safety." Tucker filled in the rest of the gaps.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "He took a walk at two in the morning?"

"Well, Sam's going to have to get Lancer out of there first."

Sam scratched her head. "How do we know Lancer didn't already tell Danny's parents?"

Tucker grinned. "I have a feeling he wants to chew us out first."

Danny thought for a moment. "All right. Story's believable enough. Phantom explained his story to us when taking us to the warehouse because he didn't know about the safe house. He spotted you guys walking home, picked you up, saved you from a ghost attack, and you begged him to come save me, the greatest guy of all time."

Sam and Tucker rolled their eyes. "All right. But Tucker, do NOT speak. We don't need another slipup."

Danny cracked his knuckles. "Ok, here goes nothing. Tucker, disarm the shield. Sam, put on the most desperate expression you can muster. It's show time!"

Tucker tapped a few buttons on his PDA and winced at the crashes that sounded from inside. In seconds the anxious Fentons were upon their son, sobbing and squeezing the life out of him. Sam flinched under Lancer's murderous gaze, but he held back and stood simmering. Danny pried himself out of his parents grip. "What happened?"

"That nasty Phantom came and attacked us! He threw us in the attic! Mr. Lancer as well, but he's as clueless as we are on how he ended up in this mess." Maddie frowned.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're safe. Phantom took Sam, Tucker and I to an old warehouse somewhere-"

Maddie instantly searched her son for any injuries while Danny tried to assure her he was fine. Sam and Tucker exchanged a look. His super healing healed most of the damage, but a few bruises were left over. Maddie noticed. "You're all bruised! When I get my hands on that ghost! Sam and Tucker, you're all scratched up! That Phantom is so-"

"Mom, it's cool. I tripped in the warehouse where he brought us and got these bruises myself. Sam and Tucker ran into a clump of barbed wire that was being stored there." Danny lied. He could hear Sam and Tucker snickering.

Jack scratched his head in confusion. "But why did Phantom take you kids there in the first place?"

"He explained that on the trip. An army of ghosts were using your Fenton portal to enter our world. He spotted Lanc-I mean, Mr. Lancer walking by and he took him to the safety of your attic, where he had programmed a Ghost/Human Shield." Lancer snorted, but Sam ignored it. "The rest of Amity took off when they saw the first wave of ghosts come out. Someone may want to tell them it's safe to come out..."

"You're telling me Phantom fought those ghosts by himself?" Maddie asked dubiously.

"Well, he had some help. At least, that's what he told us." Tucker quickly added.

Maddie noticed for the first time the amount of damage caused. She shrieked in horror. Windows were smashed, the cars parked along the streets were totalled, and one building had completely collapsed, bricks and metal piping scattered in all directions. "That Phantom destroyed our town! Come on Jack. We might be able to catch him!"

Danny face palmed when his parents bolted inside, straight for the Fenton lab. Sam and Tucker shook their heads. "You can never catch a break, can you?"

"Apparently not. Uh, oh. Get ready guys. Here come the fireworks." All three teens winced when Lancer stormed up to them.

"What did I tell you? I told you not to ghost hunt! And you DID! Not just one ghost, but a whole ghost invasion! You could have been killed!" He hollered. "Do you have any idea how musty it is in that attic? It was dusty and cramped! Why did you toss me in the attic anyway? I want the TRUTH."

Danny shrugged. "Well, this ghost knew me personally, and he was going after my parents and then you. So I had to get you in a safe place that I trusted."

Lancer narrowed his eyes. It was tough when to tell when they were lying and when they were telling the truth. He turned on Sam next. "Samantha, you are in so much trouble! You nearly gave me a heart attack with that phone call!" Danny cocked his head quizzically.

"I'll tell you later, Danny. Anyway, it was necessary, Mr. Lancer!" Sam widened her violet eyes and gave her most innocent look.

"Watch your blood pressure, Mr. L!" Tucker cautioned as he noted his teacher about to blow his top. "Hey, did you throw a shoe at me earlier?"

"Yes I did. I should have thrown something a LOT heavier." Lancer growled. "You give me no choice. You broke your part of the deal, and now I have to tell your parents."

Danny paled. "Oh please don't! Mr. Lancer, I'll do detention for the rest of high school, I'll do community service! But you can't tell my parents!"

"Yeah, you can't! Amity needs Phantom!" Sam pleaded.

Lancer shook his head firmly. "I should have done this in the beginning. Three teens should not be out fighting ghosts and risking their lives when Danny's parents are more than capable."

Tucker snorted. Lancer shot him a glare and stalked to the front door of FentonWorks.

"I don't think you have a right to tell Danny's parents, Mr. L."

Lancer froze, and turned around to see Tucker staring lazily at him. Sam and Danny widened their eyes, but they grinned.

"You see, if you hadn't given us that first ghost assignment, we wouldn't have aroused suspicious in an effort to pass. A certain someone wouldn't have found out who kidnapped all the adults. After Danny saved said ghost, that certain someone snapped and went on a mission to destroy all ghosts. Then you found out we were ghost hunting and threatened us. Which is illegal, by the way? The entire ghost invasion would have been easily avoided if YOU hadn't told us to stop ghost hunting. Then we wouldn't have had to lie low. If we hadn't had to lie low, we would have been able to contain the certain someone's plans a bit more securely. We would have been able to watch their every move. But no. You had to stop us. Then you find out Danny is Phantom and threaten us AGAIN. Now we have to stop completely. Danny then gets ticked off at Clockwork because he didn't warn him that you would discover the secret. Danny blows off steam, and somehow the cursed thermos winds up in Danny's bag. The certain someone comes along and expects to steal and empty one, but she gets the cursed one. When that someone snuck into Casper High and pulled the alarm, Danny would have been able to catch that ghost. But you jumped on us and forced us into the school auditorium. That someone caught the ghost and created a trap. Danny was lured into that trap and that certain someone accidently released one of the most evil ghosts of all. We then defeated it, and that brings us to where we are now. So you see Mr. Lancer, this is all YOUR FAULT!" Tucker pointed a finger at Lancer with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"AMEN!" Danny and Sam cheered loudly. The three teens turned around and faces Lancer, arms crossed.

"Unless you want all of Amity to know you were the cause of the entire ghost invasion, I suggest you keep that secret locked up tight. And don't bother asking who that 'certain someone' is. We won't tell you." Sam smirked.

"And that you denied Amity its hero and savoir, and nearly let it get taken over." Danny added.

Lancer felt his head pound. Was he actually being blackmailed by his STUDENTS? The blackmail being facts all twisted and turned to make it look like his fault! Glaring at the trio, he held a hand to his aching head. "All right, all right! I guess taking Phantom away from Amity wasn't the best idea. We'll talk about it more tomorrow. Right now, I need an aspirin." Groaning, he shook his head and headed to his car.

Danny and Sam high fived Tucker. "Nice one, Tuck!"

He grinned. "I try. So, now what?"

Danny thought for a moment. The past month had been crazy and hectic. All he wanted now was to relax and not have a care in the world. "You guys wanna go to Nasty Burger and grab something to eat? I'm sure it opened again. Then we can go play Doomed at Sam's."

"Sounds good. But we better tell our parents we're ok first." Tucker adjusted his beret and followed his friends. "Just think, this all started because Lancer assigned us homework!"

"AMEN!"

**Ta-da! Thank you to all that reviewed, I really appreciate it! But sadly, this is the end. I hope it satisfies everyone. Until next time,**

**AnimationNut out.**

**Peace!**


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